Lipcote- The Original Lipstick Sealer


I don't know whether you feel the same, but Lipcote is one of those products that I literally have walked past every single time I have been in Boots, Superdrug or Urban Outfitters and disregarded for as long as I can remember. 
I always noticed it- but never really even picked it up. I always saw it as one of those really old products, but thinking about it now- that's very silly as we all know that if a product isn't worth having on a shelf then it wouldn't have been stocked for like I said- as long as I can remember.

I am so annoyed at myself, for yet again only picking this up to have a look at because I liked the packaging- more fool me. If I had have picked this up before on one of my many trips into the said stores- I would have been even more lip happy than I already was. What a fantastic product!

Lipcote has been around for 50 years and after speaking about it have recently found out that my nan and my mum have both used it- hello why didn't they inform me of this sooner?!
It is the ultimate lipstick sealer. 

"Long lasting, transfer and water resistant lip colour- covered"

Say goodbye to them lipsticks that don't really stay around on the lips. This product works.

Images from www.lipcote.com


Okay, so on application it's a little bit horrid. It feels and kind of tastes like you're applying Nail Varnish remover or something of that kind to your lips and it isn't overly pleasant but if I can get past that then I'm sure you can. 

How to use-
1. Apply Lipstick
2. Blot, reapply lippy, blot again
3. Brush on Lipcote
4. Wait a minute or so for touch dry and 10 for the ultimate hold

I mostly use this on Red Lips but I applied this with MAC Gaga at work the other day and after checking at the end of a busy six hour flight- it was still on my lips looking perfect.

The full stocklist is available to see on the Lipcote website here which is an incredibly pretty site, but I purchased this in Superdrug for a tiny £3.45 which is so reasonable.




Lipcote is now an absolute staple in my make up bag- have you tried it?

xx

Handbag Beauty Awards 2011

Hi dollies,

Yet another Vote is on the Beauty Scene.. The Handbag Beauty Awards 2011!

Cue the shameless little plea..
Belles Boutique would love your vote, so please- if you enjoy reading my blog please vote for www.belles-boutique.blogspot.com over at

beauty

I hope your all fantastic and if you're in the UK- enjoying the long awaited sunshine.

xx

Liz Earle Botanical Shine Shampoo and Conditioner

 Afternoon dolls,
I was recommended these two products a little while ago by my auntie and was then really fortunate and was given the opportunity by the kindest team at Liz Earle to try them out. I'm so pleased as I really like these products.
I haven't used any other Shampoo or Conditioner whilst I've had my hands on these and don't really feel the need to.



Award winning Liz Earle Botanical Shine Shampoo for all hair and scalp types.

"High performance, colour safe formulation with innovative, naturally derived cleansers for a rich, creamy lather"

This Shampoo does literally what it says it does- it cleans the hair thoroughly and gives your hair such shine.
I have had so many compliments on how shiny my hair looks and I couldn't be any happier.
I've had to be a little bit careful with what products I use on my hair recently as I'm suffering with a horrid patch of dry scalp- I'm putting this down to working in such dehydrating, dry conditions as well as having to have my hair up all the time with hairspray and possibly sun beds but this product hasn't aggravated the area at all- in fact if anything it has possibly calmed it down a little bit.
One thing that differs with this product to other Shampoo's I have used is the lack of lather- which isn't as "rich and creamy" as stated (I was expecting this as my auntie had already mentioned it to me). It is really quite minimal and I like that. I usually like more lather as I feel like it's then super clean but at least this way theres less to get in my eyes! 
In the directions of use, it does state to add more water for more lather if needed but I don't really feel its necessary.
I always wash my hair twice. Once for an initial clean and the second for a deeper clean.
Two small applications will absolutely do the job- a little shampoo really does go a long way like also stated in the directions.
The best thing about this product- which literally makes me smile, is the smell. De-lic-ious! 
The Shampoo contains Vitamin E, Aloe Vera, West African Shea Butter, Apple and Orange Extracts and 8 essential oils and all together they smell fantastic.
So sweet and mouth watering. Definitely my cup of tea!
It's meant to be the 8 essential oils that leave your hair smelling as clean and lovely as it does, but on opening the bottle you can definitely smell the Apple and Orange- anything with Orange is an ultimate winner for me.

This costs £8 for a 200ml tube and £4.25 for a 50ml tube is available on the Liz Earle wesbite here

Left- Shampoo, Right- Conditioner

Liz Earle Botanical Shine Conditioner for Normal hair

"Creamy, colour safe conditioner leaves hair glossy and in perfect condition, ready to style"

Now before I go on, as much as I love my hair to be in perfect condition- I really don't get on with conditioner. Don't get me wrong, I use it but it always seems to make my hair either really heavy and limp or really fly away. I probably just usually use it wrong?
Anyway, this is one of the better conditioners I have used. It doesn't leave my hair heavy nor too fly away- it just leaves it nice and soft which is great. 

The directions of use are to massage into clean, wet hair after using the Shampoo. Applying only to the mid lengths and ends of the hair. Rinse thoroughly.

I am in desperate need of a hair cut but as I have said tons of times I'm currently holding out until closer to Thailand/finishing work, but I think this conditioner is working a little miracle on my [split]ends. They seem to appear a lot more sealed and under control which is as big a winner as the smell is.

The smell is just the same as the Shampoo- a delightful, clean, sweet mouth watering scent.

This product contains Meadowfoam oil, blue seakale and Kenyan yangu oil to provide ultimate conditioning and like the Shampoo- Apple and Orange extracts to restore natural shine and them wonderful 8 essential oils to leave your hair smelling clean and fresh...fancy!

This conditioner is also available for dry and damaged hair and fine or oily hair.
It costs £8 for a 200ml tube and £4.25 for 50ml tube and is available on the Liz Earle website here


I really can't rave any more about Liz Earle.
 I love there simplicity- how they work on perfecting one product to work for all types rather than a whole range (Cleanse & Polish Hot Cloth Cleanser and Shampoo) and I love that they create natural based products full of such goodness that provide fantastic results at such reasonable prices. 

If you haven't tried any thing from Liz Earle and fancy doing so- I highly recommend that you treat yourself to the Cleanse & Polish Hot Cloth Cleanser. It is so AMAZING!- You can view my post on it here 

Have you tried Liz Earle Haircare?

xx 

My 1000 Follower Giveaway Prize- MAC Shy Girl

Recently I held a 1000 Follower Giveaway and the lovely Leona from Shopping bag full of dreams won. She chose MAC Shy Girl and I can't believe the difficulties I have had in picking one up- it must be so popular!
Yesterday I finally found a MAC counter that had it in stock and to be honest I had to stop myself from picking one up for myself.
It looks like such a beautiful Nude, I can't quite believe I haven't used it before.
The lady at the counter compared it to Peachstock- a Satin finish, but I can't really see it- especially without swatching.
It seems to have a lot more of a pink tone than Peachstock does? I would have loved to compare the two but unfortunately I seem to have misplaced mine, and even if I did without a swatch it's pretty pointless.

Shy Girl is a Cremesheen finish which I do like the majority of the time but at heart, I am more of a Satin girl.

I hope Leona absolutely loves this lippy and I can't wait to see what it looks like on her.



Have you tried Shy Girl?
How do you think it compares to Peachstock?

xx

Ps. I did ask Leona's permission before opening and snapping away at her lipstick

Flag shorts and a new found love

I was tidying up my second wardrobe and I found this belt- I really don't know where it came from or whether it's even mine to be honest.
I kinda love it, I was on the hunt for a chunky belt anyway so its a winner.



Shorts- Topshop
Vest- Primark
Belt- Unknown
Nails- 17 Mint Choc Chip
Tan- Lauren's Way Tanning Lotion

xx

Models Own Eyelash Curlers

I've never really been one for curling my eyelashes- well I used to be and then I kind of just stopped?
I've been meaning to get some eyelash curlers for a while- I have heated No7 ones but they don't quite do the job I don't think, so whilst in Boots trying to figure out what to get on 3 for 2 (as if I had to get anything) I decided that these little beauts would be my third and free thing. They really are quite beautiful and pink.
Models Own Eyelash Curlers- £6.00

Oh my gosh, what a lovely difference they make. My lashes look so much better and really think they open up my eyes tons. My boyfriend even asked me if they was falsies- yay!



Mascara- L'oreal 4D Lash Architect

I really like the shine in my hair, I washed my hair with Liz Earles Shampoo & Conditioner and I'm sure its all down to that. I'll make sure I do a review shortly.

I hope you're all fantastic.
xx

How to..Magnetise Nails with The Saturdays FashionistA Nail Magnetism Nail Lacquer


Following last nights trip to the launch of The Saturday's Magnetism Nail Lacquer range, I couldn't wait to get home and try it out myself.
When the nail technicians were doing it last night, it looked really easy and I thought to myself that maybe doing it yourself at home could get a little messy or not
create the effect as perfectly as they were creating it- but it really does work so easily.
It's very simple and is complete with 3 easy steps:

1. Shake the bottle to awaken the Magnetism
2. Apply two coats- preferably apply the second after the first is fully dry (I'm too impatient for this). As soon as you have applied the second coat, move on to step 3.
3. Hover the Magnetized magnet over the nail whilst it is still wet- do not allow it to touch the nail as you will end up with a smudged mess. Hover it for about 8 seconds and wait for nails to dry.
Voila!


The FashionistA colours that I used- Ego Green and All fired up Red dried so quickly so realistically I could have waited for the first coat to totally dry before applying the second but never mind.

For my first attempt, I think that they came out pretty well. There not perfect but to be honest with this kind of effect they don't have to be- you don't really want them all too matching.



(Excuse the messy cuticles)

I'm not sure if this is a design I would necessarily always wear, but I do think it will become very popular and I can't wait to try more magnets for different effects.

What do you think? Will you be rocking the magnetism?

xx

FashionistA Launch, The Saturdays Magnetism Nail Lacquer


Yesterday I attended the FashionistA launch at The Sanctum Soho Hotel along with some really fabulous bloggers.
I had a really lovely time and was so pleased to finally meet The Saturdays.
They all looked absolutely beautiful and there make up was perfectly immaculate.

We was presented with fabulous canapes and bubbling champagne and given the opportunity to sit down with the fabulous nail technician team for a Magnetised manicure.


Lucien Laviscount made a cheeky appearance


I have quite a feeling that Magnetism nails are going to become a huge trend as all of the leading nail companies are creating there own shades and designs. Goodbye to the Crackle and hello to the Magnetism?

Frankie, Mollie, Una, Vanessa and Rochelle have all had there input to create there own shades and shade names for the range and they are quite stunning.

Mollie- Purple me up
Una- Ego Green
Vanessa- Forever is Blue
Rochelle- All fired up Red
Frankie- Notorious Silver

I managed to get my hands on Unas Ego Green and Rochelles All fired up Red which perfectly complimented my dress last night.

The Magnetism Nail Lacquers will be available at from the 26th October in selected Superdrug stores and will cost £6 with the magnets costing £3.



Although ever so excited by The Saturdays, I was there to also get a sneaky view at the rest of the FashionistA range which was great and will definitely be worth a look!

The main focus for me in the collection is the custom design palette system which consists of 49 shades of eyeshadow and 12 blushers all at really affordable price points.
There is 7 colour families and in each there is six different tones to choose from which is terribly exciting and I was stood for absolutely ages deciding which ones I loved the most. I really fell for some of the beautiful baked metallic's which are apart of there limited edition rotating trend range, but I opted for some more day to day colours for myself.

A four piece palette will cost just £12 which is really reasonable- a bonus is that when you buy four products for the palette you receive the mirrored palette absolutely free.

We all got to make our own palette which was a super treat and for mine I chose:
2 Eyeshadows- Earth Star Shade 22 and Nude Shade 20
2 Blushes- Juicy Apricot Shade 6 and Rose Shine Shade 1



(Rose Shine, Juicy Apricot, Earth Star, Nude)

Other products that will be available within the FashionistA range are Gel and Kohl Eyeliners that were very popular- offering 20 shades in total, Powders, Lip Glazes, Volume and Lengthening Mascara, Flawless and Mattifying Primers, Luminous Foundations, Long wear Lipsticks and Concealers.

It really is such a huge collection and when it hits a Superdrug near you this month it is most definitely worth a little look.

Click here for: How to Magnetism Nails

xx

Summer Encore

Happy September, friends! Can't believe I'm saying those words. This summer flew by so quickly- but don't worry- we've got a little encore of summer love left for you here at Meadow!

Lots of lovely picture frames, notecards and cute cups:

The most adorable owl hooks:

Charming vintage drawer pulls and knobs:

Yummy candles {some come in a set of 3- perfect for a gift!}

Trendy wallets:


And of course, some great little dresses!





I love how girly and sweet the dresses are. Don't know about you, but I'll be wearing a dress every day until the weather starts to change for Fall...have to soak it up! 
Have a wonderful week :)

xoxo

Back to the dark side

I woke up this morning, on a bit of a down day with my hair. So I decided to take a trip to Superdrug to purchase some hair colour.
I've been trying to get it lighter and lighter for ages, but to be honest- once I got half way, I got a bit bored. It was about 10 different shades and looked a mess.

My hairs going to go lighter whilst I'm on holiday anyway, but for the purpose of condition and shin
e I decided to go darker for a while.

I purchased a semi-permanent Clairol Nice & Easy box dye, which is meant to last about 30 washes. It will probably last about a month and a half for me. I feel like its going to fade very quickly with all the lighter hair underneath.
The colour I chose was Light Ash Brown, which I have used before and costs £4.09.
It's really easy to use and within 15 minutes you have a new colour to your locks.
My mum says you can hardly tell it has been coloured- but I definitely can.
My hair takes me ages to get used to, I imagine it will be a week or so before I start to really enjoy it. I hate 'new hair'- by this I mean freshly washed, cut or coloured hair. I like it a few days old, which I'm told isn't uncommon.


The lipstick I am wearing is my FAMOUS one, in the shade Heather.

xx

Super Saturday.


I was very lucky and managed to get my hands on some tickets to Super Saturday at Clapham Common, which was an event organised to celebrate the Paralympic Games being just 1 year away.
I was absolutely thrilled as you can imagine because I love shows and the fact that some of my fave acts were performing was such a bonus.
I was lucky enough to see The Saturday's- yes, Pixie Lott who you may have seen in the newspapers had a slight Red lipstick fail (it happens to the best of us Pixie), Olly Murs, The Wanted, Will Young, Dappy, Chipmunk, Taio Cruz, Nicola Roberts and the stunning Sugababes.

I need not tell you who was my favourite- okay I will, The Saturdays. How stunning do they look??

I wore a new t shirt that I purchased online from LA- a brand called United Couture that I am absolutely loving. It says "Are you a Barbie doll"- very me.
On my lips I am wearing my MUA Red lippy which I again, received so many compliments on.
On my face and cheeks I am wearing MAC Studio Fix Fluid in NC35 and the Chocolate Orange Bourjois Bronzer- I love it. (review to come soon)
On my eyes MAC Zoom Lash and No7 Brown/Black Eyebrow Pencil






I hope you're fabulous
xx