Sunday Tittle Tattle: The Christmas Jumper Tree

christmas jumper tree decoration

1) I have been having great fun this week, putting together a “Christmas Decorating” advertorial for B&Q. You can see the video over on Youtube here, but just LOOK at these Christmas jumpers you can get to hang on your tree! They were a pound each! It’s a shame I don’t know a family of elves, because it would be a really cheap way to dress them. They have little hats and boots too. I could kit out an army of elves with what I put in my trolley…

kids wall decal stickers

2) I went a bit crazy buying stuff on Amazon over the last few weeks for my Gift Guides and also a book feature that I want to do pre-Christmas. But I went so spend-crazy that I lost track of what I was buying and what I was merely placing in my basket. On one particular morning I woke up to eighteen – EIGHTEEN – emails thanking me for my purchases. My heart was going like the clappers! Turns out I had been buying it all with that “one click” function on my iPhone and not saving it to the basket at all! I now have enough children’s wall stickers to cover the Tate Modern and enough hardback books to build a barricade around my house, should I ever feel the need to. Needless to say that the One-Click has been deactivated for the moment! The wall stickers are amazing though – have you ever seen these? You can peel off and stick on again and they are a great no-commitment way to decorate a kid’s room, or your own, if you like rockets and robots and stuff. Find them here. (You can also see them in the Affordable Gift Guide.)

dexter the cockapoo puppy

3) Dexter is home and I want to thank you all so much for your kind messages and emails, I was really touched! He’s on lots of medication but is doing well, so should be right as rain in a few days. Poor Mr Bear is having to get used to sharing the attention all over again.. He has spent most of the past few days lying on top of a hamper that arrived from Triumph (thank you Triumph!) and looking grumpy.

british shorthair

The post Sunday Tittle Tattle: The Christmas Jumper Tree appeared first on A Model Recommends.

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Current Daily Makeup Look with Chanel’s Poésie Palette

Chanel Les 4 Ombres Eyeshadows in Poesie

My current daily makeup look, featuring Chanel’s eyeshadow palette for this Autumn, Poésie. I’m quite taken with this eye palette; at first I thought it might be too pearlescent and shiny for me, but the shadows seem to give a beautiful sheeny glow to the lids rather than anything too glittery or brash. The tones are just beautiful; the paler shades feel almost more suited to a winter collection, with their frosted finishes and lilac-tinted hues, but the two darker ones have that classic autumnal warmth that makes you (shamefully) wish that the tail-end of summer would just hurry up and get itself over with!

ruth crilly model beauty blog

The shadows blend beautifully, and I don’t see any particular “fall-out” or dropping with them. The longevity seems good too; in fact the application in these photos, which was done at 9.45am on Friday morning, looked pretty much the same at 11.50pm when I got home at night. Bravo. A handy palette for pretty much all of time, if you end up saving it for special occasions; these are the kind of shades that won’t really date or go out of fashion. And if you end up using it every day then all the better, because it’s definitely a luxury purchase! You can find it online here – it’s £40.

Other bits and pieces in my daily makeup look du moment: By Terry’s superb foundation, Densiliss, which I am always reluctant to write about due to the whopping price tag; Estée Lauder’s Blush in Nude Nuance (one of my favourite ever pale bronzey blushes, sadly discontinued); Lancome’s Grandiose mascara (bent wand, easy to apply) and Max Factor’s Lipfinity lipstick in Always Delicate.

ruth crilly mascara application

I quite often stick myself into a makeup “rut” when I find a combination I love; I get the feeling that the above will end up being my staple look for autumn. Fresh, glowing skin (thanks Densiliss) and a touch of Ballet Chic; matte, nude-ish lips and that gorgeous glow to the lids. You can’t actually see the glow so well on these pics as I hadn’t yet done my “top coat” with the lighter shades, but take a look at the August Favourites video to see it in action.

Max Factor Lipfinity in Always Delicate: http://tidd.ly/2f9eea73

By Terry Densiliss Foundation, Shade 7: http://goo.gl/Tu4JrR

Laura Mercier Undereye Concealer in shade 2.5: http://goo.gl/sQFegr

Lancome Grandiose Mascara: http://tinyurl.com/oguk4cx

Chanel Poésie Eye Quad: http://tidd.ly/4e248779

Nails, Dior Yacht: http://tidd.ly/ec9b57cb

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Moss Mayhem, Scrub Love & Lip Treats.


Lots of new beauty releases lately, and a few new beauty bits that I’ve been trying too! Let me know what new releases or purchases you’re excited about below…

Moss Obsessed

I made my second ever Moss order the other week, I couldn’t help it! There was an amazing flash sale of 33% off to celebrate Celestyna’s Birthday (I tweeted about it so maybe give me a follow so you don’t miss out next time?). Plus I had a free shipping coupon so it would have been rude not to really. I picked up Equilibrium, a balancing serum for acne-prone skin that also hydrates and helps cells renew quicker. I’m hoping it will be a good medium for helping both dermatitis and acne. I also got a mini sized Salvation balm, full of rare butters that are incredible for healing, and the Bacio Di Miele lip balm, which I’m utterly obsessed with. I will review the lip balm and my Zen Physic treatment oil soon if you like? (the other two need longer testing).

All the new launches…

First up we have the Kahina Beldi Soap & La Belle Lune launching on Content Beauty. The Kahina soap has already sold out but any Kahina purchases over £30 receive a travel sachet of the soap (I recommend the argan oil always! or the fez hand balm) I’m really curious about this soap and must try and get a travel size soon. The La Belle Lune Night Elixir is a nutrient rich oil with specifically chosen oils to heal and nourish skin overnight and is handmade in London. I’ve followed this brand on instagram for awhile so it’s nice to see them now stocking in my favourite store.

You may have heard of the Treat Collection nail polishes, but they recently expanded their range to include lipsticks. There wasn’t a huge fanfare, which is crazy because the collection is huge and really well done in my opinion. There are 32 (yep, really!) shades in a couple of different finishes, all of the colours look lovely, there’s really something for everyone, plus the gold packaging will look quite the part in your makeup bag. Shop here.

A limited edition set for valentines has just been released from Mahalo Care. If you follow any green bloggers on Instagram you will have probably seen their pictures of the set and plenty of mask selfies already. The set contains a full size pre-release of The Petal mask, a honey and rose hydrating and brightening mask (100ml), plus an exclusive-to-this-set mask named The Bean (50ml), so called because of its cocoa bean, coffee bean and vanilla bean ingredients. Designed to be a companion to The Petal, The Bean is antioxidant rich and tones and firms skin. Finally, the Attar Onaona perfume oil completes the set. Pink and white lotus, rose, vanilla and patchouli are just a few of the blended oils to create a unique and seductive aroma. Pick up the limited edition You Are Loved set here.

We have to take a quick minute to talk about the eagerly anticipated RMS Master Mixer too, a rose gold(!!) sister to the cult Living Luminizer. Designed to be worn alone or mixed with any of your current makeup wardrobe, the Master Mixer mixes with creams and powders and can be applied on the eyes, lips, cheeks… anywhere at all to add a warm rose glow. I can’t wait to try this out.

New Fave Scrub.

I am smitten with this scrub from Evolve. With a sweet tropical scent and an emulsifying formula it’s perfect. I have avoided using scrubs for ages because I’ve only had oil based ones that are so, so messy. You’re oily, the bath tub is oily, there are bits everywhere, I can’t deal. The Evolve scrub is sugar based and emulsifies and dissolves away with water. It’s not ‘weak’ and you can really get scrubby with it, but then just rinse it away with ease, perfect. It has some oils in there to nourish the skin too but no residue. I love it. Find the full size here, or a mini size to try it first.

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Bold is Beautiful: Girl Develop It

The third week of May is here, and the heat is on—to go get your brows waxed to support the Bold is Beautiful Project ASAP! During the entire month of May, we’re giving 100% of the proceeds from all brow waxes at Benefit boutiques & Macy’s BrowBars back to charities that empower women & girls through education and mentorship. We selected four amazing non-profits to support, and we’re super excited to share a little bit more about each with all of you. Today, we’re talking Girl Develop It!

GDI Logo

Girl Develop it provides mentorship & affordable classes to women interested in learning web & software development. Coding and web development skills are so valuable in the current job market, but to many women across the country, the cost of learning those skills is much too high. Girl Develop It opens doors for women across the country to step into a new skill set and a new career, and create a better future for themselves.

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Girl Develop It is open to women of all races, education levels, income & upbringing—everyone is welcome in their classes! We’re all about “you CAN sit with us,” so it’s just one more reason that they’re right up our alley 😉 (as if we needed another one!). Their vision is to close the gender gap that exists in STEM education & occupations and create a network of empowered women who feel confident in pursuing careers in the tech field—so much love. We believe women are just as (okay, fine—a little bit more) smart, powerful and capable as any man and we’re all about helping provide them with the education & skill sets to get out there and dominate!

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Benebabes, don’t waste one more second! Book your appointment online at any Macy’s BrowBar or Benefit boutique NOW, and get ready to give a brow!

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