Flora Oil - not just for frying!

I was cleaning my make-up brushes tonight at the kitchen sink and for the umteenth time I despaired at how hard it can be to remove waxy/oily residue such as foundation, concealer and lipstick, even when using a proper make-up brush cleaner...

Then, it hit me. That bottle of Flora Sunflower Oil sitting on the kitchen counter might just solve the problem...

I gently massaged a dollop of the aforementioned oil into each of the affected brushes...and BANG, the dirt was gone. (Sorry Cillit Bang, it's too late on a Friday night to be coming up with my own catchy catch-phrase).

To remove the oil, I cleansed thoroughly with my MAC Brush Cleanser, followed by a rinse of water.

Remember that old adage re. oil and water...yep, it's true, they don't mix! If using oil on your brushes, don't rinse them with water; instead, gently massage the brush with make-up brush cleaner. If you don't you'll be left with greasy brushes.

Now, my brushes are positively gleaming and not a trace of foundation/concealer/lipstick in sight. Plus they are as soft as silk!


Tips when cleansing brushes

• Clean your brushes regularly (at least every 3rd use).
• Use a proper brush cleaner (not washing up liquid / shampoo).
• Use warm water (not hot).
• Try not to immerse the brush handle in water as it could cause the brush hairs to become loose.
• Lay the clean brushes on a towel to dry naturally.
• Store the brushes in a clean, dry place.

Tune in next week for my top make-up brush recommendations (which will make for a great Christmas gift for the make-up junkie in your life).


Yours in style,
Caroline

Outnet Giveaway...Outed!

Fancy getting your hands on this Marchesa silk-chiffon dress worth €3,416? Now that caught your attention didn't it!

One of my favourite websites, http://www.theoutnet.com/ is

giving away this beauty in an on-line competition this week.

If you fancy your chances at winning, fill out an entry form on http://www.theoutnet.com/giveaway/199?cm_mmc=Email-_-GiveawayU90-_-Marchesa091111-_-INTL. Hurry though as the closing date is this Friday, 13th November (lucky for some, don't you know!)

Yours in style,
Caroline

Shoe-bootiful!

How can you stay snug and warm this Winter, whilst staying band on trend? Tis easy - buy a pair of 'shoe-boots'.

Shoe-boots are very easy to wear and look great with opaque tights, leggings or even under trousers.

Check out my most recent purchase from Dunnes Stores - a fantastic (and dare I say extremely comfortable) pair of purple, velvet, platform shoe-boots for a bargaintastic €18!

The above shoe-boots are also available in black and grey from Dunnes. They are flying off the shelves so get there asap if you want to bag yourself a pair.

Rules for Wearing Shoe Boots

If you have short legs: Ensure that the colour of your shoe-boots matches your tights / leggings / trousers, which will give the illusion of a longer leg. Avoid wearing shoeboots on bare legs with a skirt/shorts (unless the shoe-boots are a nude colour), as your legs will look very stumpy.

If you have long legs: You lucky thing, you can easily carry off wearing a contrasting colour shoe-boot to your tights / leggings / trousers! With your legs, it's always a good idea to 'break up' the leg length by wearing boots, shoes with ankle straps, colourful footwear etc. as this will make you appear less leggy (and your legs won't look like stumps I promise!)

Yours in style,
Caroline

Conical or Comical?

Pioneered by Marylin Monroe in the 50s and reincarnated by Madonna and Jean-Paul Gaultier in the early 90s (Blonde Ambition tour), the Conical Bra is making a comeback...thanks to Monsieur Gaultier himself as it happens!

His show at Paris Fashion Week on 3rd October (pictured below) featured a spectacular array of conical bras, and Gaultier was keen to promote their bosum-boosting-benefits: "instead of filling oneself with silicone or collagen, why not try these prostheses, which can be taken off," he chuckled, "It's perfect!"


It's amazing how quick a trend can filter down to the high street. Whether it be for fashionable reasons, or the functional reasons purported my Gaultier, UK chain store John Lewis are reporting a 33% upsurge in sales for these pointy creations.

Conical or comical?

Yours in style,
Caroline

Waist Not, Want Not

Waistcoats, waistcoats, everywhere I look there are waistcoats. I’m not talking about ‘dapper gentleman’ ones. No such luck. I mean ladies’ fashiony waistcoats. Flicking through Grazia and the like, it appears that you’re at nothing this Winter unless you are sporting a woolly torso-toaster…

.. or a teeny, low-cut denim delight…

So who can wear this style?

CHOOSE IF... the top half of your body is smaller than the bottom half. A slim-fitting waistcoast can balance out your proportions, aswell as drawing attention to your neat upper half.

AVOID IF...the top half of your body is busty, boxy or large on top avoid this style as it will do absolutely nothing flattering for you.

Conclusion

Waistcoasts are hard to wear, in my opinion. Unless you have quite slim proportions, they can make you look bigger than what you are. Also, they can be quite ‘boxy’ and therefore don’t always enhance womanly curves.

All in all, I think this trend is best left to the youngsters (i.e. anyone who wasn’t around for the original 1980s experience).

Which reminds me, there is a photo at home somewhere of me in 1994 (old enough to know better) looking a fright in a massive REVERSIBLE waistcoat…denim on one side and thick brown chord on the other. Imagine! Of course I wore it with the mandatory Levi’s 501s. *Shudder*

Moving swiftly back to the present, if you really want to ‘get waisted’, check out http://www.asos.com/ where they have a plethora of styles.

Yours in style,
Caroline

Snap Happy!

I’m a divil for staking photos; I always, ALWAYS have a camera in my handbag for impromptu snapping.

I’ve recently upgraded my 'snaparatus' to a (deep breath) Panasonic Lumix DC Vario DMC-FS12 12 Mega Pixel camara. And what a great little product it is too - even for a technophobe like me! It's easy-peasy to use and the picture quality is phenomenal.

The only problem I’ve encountered is that the file size of each picture is obviously huge (between 4-5MB each) so I’ve had to resort to http://www.picresize.com/ when uploading to the internet.

My thanks to the lovely man in Currys, http://www.currys.ie/, who recommended it. Plus, it was on sale too at €179!

Yours in style,
Caroline

It's all Grey-vy

"Caroline, you're looking a bit grey in the face."

These are the words of my kind, well-meaning, Irish mammy when I'm tired/sick/stressed and basically look like I've been whitewashed.

Now though, my favourite make-up brand, Bobbi Brown, has given a whole new (hale and hearty) meaning to the phrase, with their sumptuous new Chrome Palette.

This limited-edition collection is the latest in a string of home-runs for Bobbi Brown. Traditionally known for favouring a nude look, Bobbi has made a few foray's of late into the wonderful worlds of colour and shimmer.

And this latest offering doesn't disappoint. Largely inspired by this season's 'in' colour (grey, if you haven't guessed by now!), the palette features 10 eye-shadow shades (in both matte and shimmer tones), as well as four lip-glosses (in varying berry tones).

Grey is a very versatile colour for typical Irish complexions (pale skin, light coloured eyes) and suits all ages. As it is quite a cold colour, I suggest that you wear a nice pinky blush (pink and grey go exceptionally well together), with a pink lip for a great Winter look. Finally, finish your eyes with a slick of Bobbi's "Granite Ink" long-wear gel eye-liner for a modern, long-lasting, defined finish.

Price and Availability: The good news is that this palette is great value at €65.00. The bad news is that it is not so easy to get your mitts on this palette as we only have limited stockists in Ireland, namely Brown Thomas Dublin/Cork/Galway (but not Limerick for some strange reason). If you don't fancy a road-trip, you can mail-order your palette by ringing any of the above-mentionned BT outlets (P&P fee will apply).

This is one that is definitly on my Christmas wish-list!

Yours in style,

Caroline