Sœurs de Luxe

BEAUTY | LIFESTYLE | TRAVEL | FOOD | HOME INTERIORS | PARENTING | BABY

Friday, July 29, 2016

Kailijumei Jelly Flower Lip Stains



My lipstick collection is forever growing. So much so in fact, that now I've been paid (yay, payday!) I'm going to have to purchase some more makeup storage to hold them all! I've been thinking about revamping my dressing room anyway, so I think now is my excuse.. I just haven't got enough space or storage! (teehee)

I don't wear lipstick every single day, mainly as I'm constantly eating something so don't want to smudge it.. but I do try and wear it if I'm putting in a little bit of extra effort in my makeup look or just need some added moisture. 

These beautiful lipstick/lip stains from Kailijumei are all about moisture. 

Upon first seeing them, I weren't too sure what they were. But there was no question about their striking feature.. A delicate flower (real? fake? who knows) encapsulated within a translucent pink jelly. 

I immediately had to have them, and with around 6 different colours, it made sense to me to initially purchase the two pinks, with a view to buy the others once I'd given these a fair try first. 


No Regrets.

These stains have fast become my go-to handbag essential, and I'll be purchasing the other shades (purple, blue, green, orange and red) this weekend. 

At first glance, they look quite cheap.. and hey.. they were... only £2.35 in fact from eBay (where else?!) but the quality of the lip stain, their wear-ability and solidity.. not cheap at all.

Considering they're almost hot pink.. as in.. NEON highlighter pink when held up to the light, the colours come out really pretty! They remind me of Barbie pinks, but once on your lips, they work with the pH balance in your lips to create your custom shade. 

Here's the swatches of the two shades I picked. 


They add a moisturising layer of shimmery pink that can either enhance your natural lip colour and compliment your features or if built up, is a striking pink to bring out your blushed cheeks and smooth complexion. 

I can't wait to use these up and find out whether the flower is real or not!


Have you tried these jelly lip stains? What were your thoughts?
Share:

Sunday, July 24, 2016

It's That Time Again! | Bloggers Xmas 2016


Last year's event was a great success and we can't wait to have heaps of fun with you all again this November!

This year, Bloggers Xmas will be held at Finch's Pub, Finsbury Sq, London. We've made sure the event doesn't clash with The Clothes Show this year as I know loads of you were gutted they fell on the same day.

We already have 20+ brands signed up to showcase their products, and hope to meet or beat last year's accomplishment of 43 brands!

We had over 200 bloggers express their interest in attending last year, and just over 160 managed to make it. 

Tickets (if there are any left) will also be available on the door for the full price of £17. There are very few Early Bird tickets online now for the discounted rate of £10 ! (£15 will be charged once these have run out so get in there quick!) 

When is it?: Saturday 19th November 2015
Where will it be?: Finch's Pub, Finsbury Square, London
What time?: 2-5pm
What does it cost?:  £15   (£17 on the door)
Who's coming?: 200+ bloggers and around 20 amazing brands with many more contributing to goody bags etc.
Nearest Tubes: Liverpool Street, Moorgate, Old Street.

At the event, you can browse the brands exhibiting, chat to the PRs and build some great networks, as well as make new blogging friends, play games, enter competitions and be festive!

There'll be a selfie wall, twitter and Instragram competitions to win amazing prizes, and plenty more activities!


The #BloggersXmas is our second event held in London around Christmas time, to provide a friendly environment for like-minded bloggers to get together and meet fabulous brands. Not forgetting, you all will leave with a goody bag full of fabulous treats for you to try and review!
We've got some amazing brands lined up and we can't wait to share them with you all! Follow us on twitteras well as the #bloggersxmas hashtag to find out which brands will be involved! 

If you're a brand (Fashion, beauty, lifestyle, travel or food) and want to get your products in front of all these bloggers, email me at PR@soeursdeluxe.com for more information about how you can get involved! We have limited exhibitor spaces!


BOOK NOW!

Share:

Friday, July 22, 2016

Laser Vs IPL Hair Removal | Which is Actually Permanent?


There's always been a question of how effective IPL is compared to Laser hair removal. A lot of people think they're the same thing, but that's far from reality!

After having my third Laser Hair Removal session yesterday, I thought it best to answer some common questions relating to hair removal.

For starters, only IPL is possible at home. You can purchase relatively low cost machines which will remove hair at home using low energy light waves. Laser is much higher power and needs to be done by a professional. They both emit light and both are used to permanently remove hair. That's where the similarities end however.

Dependant on your skin and hair colour, the result you get from either type of removal differs greatly, just as the spectrum of light each machine emits.

The energy from the light causes irreparable damage to the hair follicles it targets, stunts their growth and eventually, after enough applications, permanently stops any hair from growing. The light specifically targets the dark pigments in the hair, so those with darker skin need to be careful. Laser and IPL hair removal may cause damage to skin tissue pigmentation as well. This is also why Laser technicians ask that you don't tan for months before and during your treatment.

Laser

There are tonnes of different Laser Hair Removal machines. All for different skin types and hair colours. Pulse Light Clinic*, where I'm getting my treatment done, have 3 laser machines. The Soprano XL which is pain free and can be used on tanned skin, the Nd:YAG which is a specialist machine for darker and Asian skin, the Alexandrite, which is the strongest laser and gives the fastest results, and finally they can use what they call the Duetto which is a mix of the Alexandrite and NDYag (30%/70%) and is used to treat finer hairs such as blonde, red and light brown and can also be used on the fairest of skin.

As mentioned in my previous posts, the laser works by emitting an extremely concentrated monochromatic (single wavelength) light wave and targeting the hair follicles of the area you wish to be hair free. It is very concentrated light of a single colour and form designed to target the melanin within hair. Once the light penetrates the skin and is absorbed by the hair pigment, the light energy is converted into heat. This then travels down into the root and destroys it beyond repair. These then need targeting at every regeneration in order to ensure they don't grow back.

Between 6 to 8 treatments are needed for light skin and a couple more for darker skin.

Intense Pulse Light (IPL)

IPL devices are usually small and handheld and can be purchased for home use. These emit a wide spectrum of wavelengths of light. Because of this, it is commonly argued that IPL is not as effective as Laser. They are only able to target a few hairs at a time, compared to the wide coverage that Laser offers.

Due to the many wavelengths of light, the body receives a lot of wasted and unneeded wavelengths of energy that can actually cause damage to the skin's structure. It cannot effectively isolate the single wave of light needed to target and destroy the hair, therefore IPL doesn't always work and takes many treatments for hair to be completely removed. There is also a risk of burning and scarring of the skin if not done properly. Due to the higher levels of radiation, the long term effects of IPL remain unknown.

For those with olive skin or lighter skin, both laser and IPL will provide the same or similar results. However, for darker skin colours, IPL will most likely not provide the desired results due to the thickness and dark colour of the hair.

Both Laser and IPL are options for both men and women. The most popular areas for treatment for women are the underarms, bikini area, legs, upper lip and chin. For men, popular areas include back, abs, chest and shoulders, along with the face and neck.

With Laser removal, the treatment is only effective when it targets hair in the anagen phase. This is known as the active growth stage - when it's regenerating below the skin's surface.  Because hair grows at different rates, it is only possible to target a few hairs per treatment. Appointments are then spaced around 4-6 weeks apart.

It is worth noting however, that there is no 100% guarantee that either treatment will permanently remove all hair. They promise up to 90% removal. Only electrolysis can guarantee 100%.  This means that one day you may see regrowth, but the hairs will definitely be thinner and more sparse, but at some point (hopefully when I'm 80!) the hairs will start to grow back.

I'm just looking forward to being hair free and not worrying about getting my armpits out on the tube in this disgustingly hot and sticky weather.

Have you had hair removal treatment? Did it work? How long did it last?

You can bag yourself a package deal: 6 x Laser Hair Removal treatments for bikini and underarms only £300! Contact @pulselightclinic at Tottenham Court Road. Tel: 02072054085 to book in. That's the best deal I've seen! Simply quote "deluxe300" when booking.


Share:

Tuesday, July 19, 2016

How to Reduce Dark Circles | DermiEye Review

Opatra DermiEye reduce dark circles

Dark circles are one of the most commonly hated skin imperfection amongst women of all ages. 

Dark circles are so visible because the blood vessels close to the skin surface under your eyes move closer to the top layer of skin, becoming more visible. Whether this is caused by lack of sleep, ageing, stress, or even lack of iron in your diet, it's a pain to have to layer on concealer every morning. But what if you didn't have to?

Together with my favourite eye cream; Algenist Complete Eye Renewal Balm, The Opatra DermiEye device, promises to significantly reduce the appearance of dark circles, under eye bags (puffiness) and even fine lines in just a few weeks!

The unique technology uses your own skin current (the electricity in your skin!) to send pulses through your skin and helps absorb the creams. The vibration massage stimulates blood circulation within the blood vessels underneath your eye area and helps regenerate cell connection. Thus transferring the goodness within the eye cream straight to your blood stream and be absorbed so much faster, so you see the effects much quicker!

Placing your fingers on the metal plate on the rear of the device and the head of the device onto your eye area and you've completed the electrical circuit! The device will then begin to vibrate, stimulating your blood cells (god, this sounds wrong!) and encourage the skin to absorb the cream/serum of your choice.

I haven't used it continuously yet, but it has now found its place within my evening skin routine and shall see me eye-bagless by the end of the month (hopefully)! For such a small device, it's got big promises! For the few times I have used it (for about 5 days in a row), my under eye area did feel a lot brighter and less corpse-looking, so already I was seeing results. I was using my eye cream for about a month before I started to use the DermiEye device and did not see results anywhere near this quick, so it definitely is helping the balm to work its magic!

Opatra also made DermiSonic devices which use red, blue and green LED light therapy to help with ageing, acne, dark circles, uneven skintone, aids lyphatic drainage and much much more! They look amazing, I really need to get my hands on one! Having used the illuMask red light therapy anti-ageing mask, I know the benefits of LED light therapy and the wonders it can do for your skin after just 15 minutes of use per day.

 Do you have under eye dark circles and have found a trick to get rid of them?

Share:

Saturday, July 16, 2016

#VikingArtyParty | Day of Crafts

#vikingartyparty, a l'aise, stationery, bloggers, crafts, calligraphy, origami, block printing, flamingos, lumiere london

I've always loved crafts, whether its colouring in, building things, painting etc. I've always tried my hand at anything and everything creative. I loved doing Art and Design Technology in school. I just loved how hands-on it was, building papier-mâché models, drawing still life pictures. I'm definitely more creative than I am a scholar. 

#vikingartyparty, a l'aise, stationery, bloggers, crafts, calligraphy, origami, block printing, flamingos, lumiere london

#vikingartyparty, a l'aise, stationery, bloggers, crafts, calligraphy, origami, block printing, flamingos, lumiere london

When we were invited to the Viking Arty Party in London, we jumped at the chance to try and improve our crafting abilities. Held in Lumiere London (where I'd attended another event fairly recently), the event was already buzzing when we arrived; full of amazing lifestyle and stationery bloggers. Some we've met before and some we got to know at the party, we had a great time chatting with everyone, and catching up over a cuppa.

There were three activity tables placed around the beautiful venue; Modern Calligraphy with À L'aise, Block Printing with Tea and Crafting and Mindful Origami with MindFOLDness

#vikingartyparty, a l'aise, stationery, bloggers, crafts, calligraphy, origami, block printing, flamingos, lumiere london

#vikingartyparty, a l'aise, stationery, bloggers, crafts, calligraphy, origami, block printing, flamingos, lumiere london

#vikingartyparty, a l'aise, stationery, bloggers, crafts, calligraphy, origami, block printing, flamingos, lumiere london

#vikingartyparty, a l'aise, stationery, bloggers, crafts, calligraphy, origami, block printing, flamingos, lumiere london

Put in 3 groups, we each got to try out each craft for an hour with a short break in between for snacking and chatting. Our first craft was block printing! We absolutely loved this one as we're really into prints at the moment. We both went for on-trend prints; Kirsty went for a palm leaf and I opted for a very fiddly flamingo print. Cutting these designs out probably took the longest, especially mine. But it was definitely worth it in the end! The two designs looked great when we finished, even the weird brownish/purpley shade I mixed looked okay! Tea and Crafting were great at teaching everyone how to create their very own block printed magazine file.

#vikingartyparty, a l'aise, stationery, bloggers, crafts, calligraphy, origami, block printing, flamingos, lumiere london

#vikingartyparty, a l'aise, stationery, bloggers, crafts, calligraphy, origami, block printing, flamingos, lumiere london

#vikingartyparty, a l'aise, stationery, bloggers, crafts, calligraphy, origami, block printing, flamingos, lumiere london

#vikingartyparty, a l'aise, stationery, bloggers, crafts, calligraphy, origami, block printing, flamingos, lumiere london

#vikingartyparty, a l'aise, stationery, bloggers, crafts, calligraphy, origami, block printing, flamingos, lumiere london

The second workshop was learning Modern Calligraphy for beginners. I was most excited about this one, as I've always wanted to learn calligraphy and event had dreams of writing my own wedding invitations. But that'd take a lot of practice, I'll let photoshop do my calligraphy for me I think.. It was really fun sitting with What Cat Says and La Bella Vita chatting away and laughing at how badly we were attempting fancy writing. We definitely got better as the workshop went on and were finally able to write our blog name and it not look like a child had done it!

#vikingartyparty, a l'aise, stationery, bloggers, crafts, calligraphy, origami, block printing, flamingos, lumiere london

#vikingartyparty, a l'aise, stationery, bloggers, crafts, calligraphy, origami, block printing, flamingos, lumiere london

#vikingartyparty, a l'aise, stationery, bloggers, crafts, calligraphy, origami, block printing, flamingos, lumiere london

#vikingartyparty, a l'aise, stationery, bloggers, crafts, calligraphy, origami, block printing, flamingos, lumiere london

#vikingartyparty, a l'aise, stationery, bloggers, crafts, calligraphy, origami, block printing, flamingos, lumiere london

The final workshop was by MindFOLDness. He explained how relaxing origami can be and presented how origami can actually be very lucrative.. who knew!? I learnt how to fold a couple designs when I was younger. My grandma used to house international students when the boarding school near her was overflowing with students, each were kind enough to teach me how to fold something new. I'd learnt the crane, heart and water lily by the time I was 14, and since then have received origami sets for various birthdays or Christmases. It's my party trick! 

In this workshop he taught us how to make an envelope from an A4 piece of paper and a different way of doing a crane from a coloured square of paper. This was much more of a team building exercise than the other workshops, as we got to help each other with the folds and ask for help if we got stuck. We all helped one another to keep up and get it right, it was great to talk to some more bloggers too!

We even got to take away all the bits we'd done that day as well as a goodybag of a craft to do at home. The bag included gold, silver and black permanent markers (which I have used to draw on pretty much every little thing I can find that I can jazz up) to decorate two white mugs. I cannot wait to find the perfect design to draw on them! Kirsty on the other hand, pounced on them straight away and wrote slogans on them!

#vikingartyparty, a l'aise, stationery, bloggers, crafts, calligraphy, origami, block printing, flamingos, lumiere london

As a little treat, we've got an amazing discount for our readers! You get 15% off any product at À L'AISE using code: SUPER15 !! Go on, go and treat yourself to some beautiful stationery, including greetings cards, leather goods, calligraphy supplies, gift wrap, origami sets and writing sets!

Take a look at some more photos from the event, courtesy of Search Laboratory who put this amazing event together!















What's your favourite craft?
Share:

Thursday, July 14, 2016

Planning an Engagement Party | The Do's and Don't's

So planning a wedding is known to be stressful, but people often forget about the events that run up to the wedding. Now, I don't think I'll be having a bridal shower or a dinner rehearsal, those things just seem a bit excessive and well.. are more of an American tradition than an English one. I did however hold an engagement party. Mainly as an excuse to throw a party, but more for my family to meet his and see how my friends would get on with our families too as a sort of test run for our wedding reception. It's completely up to you whether you hold any of these events
I got engaged last September, exciting I know; it still is so weird that this time next year I'll be a married woman.. so I was quite quick to start arranging a party to celebrate to be held a few months later in November. 
Here's a list of Do's and Don'ts to give you an idea of where to start when organising your own Engagement party!
DO get an idea of who you'd like to invite as soon as possible (tradition goes, that anyone attending this will expect an invite to your ceremony).
DON'T forget anyone! If you invite your friends, and you're part of a group; invite them all! If you're inviting close family; invite them all! If you're looking to keep things small, you can keep this as a family only event.
DO think about food and drink supplies pretty early on. We went for M&S party food; it's quite reasonably priced and so so delicious.
DON'T forget about allergies! Make sure you cater for everyone's intolerances, allergies and dietary requirements, and make sure things are labelled if the food isn't attended!
DO have a budget in mind for food and drink and factor this into your overall wedding budget if you're including it and work out who is paying for it! Typically, the bride's parents are supposed to host the event, but my fiancé's parents kindly offered :)
DON'T under-buy. There's nothing worse than a party that runs out of food or booze!
DO get invites out pretty quickly to make sure everyone is available.
DON'T forget to add a number or email to RSVP for your guests to respond to.
DO match your wedding theme if you already know what it's going to be! Mine was silver and white!

DON'T forget about decorations! We went for fairy lights, balloons, table confetti and banners!
DO allow yourself plenty of time to decorate and get ready. I had a mad panic after I got myself ready and left myself no time to decorate!
DON'T leave food to the last minute. Plan ahead and work out what time is best for food to start coming out.
DO expect your guests to be fashionably late, you would be too if it were the other way around!
DON'T expect your guests to buy you a gift, if they want to, they will, but it's not compulsory.
DO send thank you cards if they do give you a gift and make sure you send them promptly!
DON'T forget to take lots of pictures for your wedding album! I completely forgot and this is literally the only photo I have from the night!
Me and my fiancé (R) with my best friend and her boyfriend (L)
I hope this has been somewhat helpful, I know I certainly could have done with knowing a lot of these things before I started organising, so best of luck!
For help on choosing your engagement ring and to find out what the 4 Cs are referring to; click here!
Are you recently engaged? What tip did you find most useful?
Share:

Tuesday, July 12, 2016

Chiqui Time | Celebrating Hemel Chiquito's 500th day


Back in May, Kirsty and I were invited along to the 500th birthday of Hemel Hempstead's Chiquito's. That's 500 days since it first opened in Jarman's Fields Leisure Complex on Jarman Way. Exciting stuff!

Admittedly, I've never actually eaten at Chiquito's before, despite me wanting to go every time I pass one. I mean, Mexican food is my favourite! I'm so gutted it's taken until now to give it a try!

Share:

Saturday, July 09, 2016

Stylist Live 2015 | Friday Catwalk

stylist live 2015

With tickets for Stylist Live 2016 already up for sale, I realised I have not yet covered last years! My backlog is immense!

After entering a little competition online, I won two tickets to Stylist Live 2015 at the Business Design Centre, Islington back in October last year. About a 2 minutes walk from where I work, I found out about the show quite early on but never got round to buying tickets, so winning the tickets was super useful (and lucky!). These tickets not only included entry, but we were booked onto the 6pm Catwalk show!

 I try to pick up Stylist magazine every week, but annoyingly, there's not always someone outside Highbury and Islington station giving them out, which is annoying, as I can never actually find a pile of them to take from! Anyone know where they're stocked?

stylist live 2015

As Kirsty was busy on the Friday, I took my mum. She too had won tickets (I entered her too, just in case) but didn't need to use them. Sorry if that meant someone else didn't win them. We headed over there at around lunch time to have a nosey and to see if there were any stalls we could buy lunch from. Sadly I'd spent most of that month's pay already, so didn't really buy anything at the event. I did however pick up some samples from brands like Rituals and Caudalie.

stylist live 2015










There were lots of brands there to talk to and look at, including some well known ones such as Oliver Bonas (my fave),  Birchbox and Swarovski. There were also some start ups and online brands in attendance and my mum even bought some memory foam soled shoes from a cute shoe brand and some food stalls that offered a variety of lunches. My particular favourite was the donut brand which we couldn't resist buying one from.

After work I walked over there just in time for the catwalk show and managed to get a spot right at the end of the runway where I could Periscope the whole thing and take photos. Here's a bunch of images I took of 2015 trends.

stylist live 2015

stylist live 2015

stylist live 2015

stylist live 2015

stylist live 2015



With 2015's Stylist Live being so enjoyable, I can't wait to see what they have in store for this year!

Did you attend? What was your favourite part?

Share:
Blogger Template Created by pipdig