Perfect Feet for the Lazy or Impatient: The Micro Pedi

dry foot skin micropedi

Well this was twenty-four quid well spent; the Emoji Micro Pedi is the most fun I’ve had with my feet in years. (There’s some kind of rude joke in there somewhere but I haven’t the energy to eke it out.) A sort of miniature sander that you run over dry foot skin, it requires virtually no physical effort yet has the distinctly satisfying effect of kicking up clouds of dead-skin-dust. Gross, but – as I said – distinctly satisfying. When you think about how long you have to sit with a manual foot file to even make a dent in a hard, shell-like heel….well. This Micro Pedi gadget achieves smoother skin in mere seconds. If you’re constantly battling with bits of dry foot skin or hard, calloused heels then this is one gadget I can highly recommend.

I was never convinced by the “Ped Egg” or any of these cheese grater-style foot files; in fact, when I attended the Margaret Dabbs Clinic (post here) the podiatrist was quite vocal about staying well clear of them, saying that they removed skin unevenly and ineffectively. Much better to go for the good quality sandpapery files and do the filing routine little and often. Which I never do because it’s so bloody boring. Where’s the fun in sitting on the floor sawing away at your heels? It’s almost as painfully dull as using a foot scrub. (High up on my list of the most pointless body products ever invented. There are good ones, admittedly, but tell me: in which situation is it convenient to use one? Not in the shower, as you’d put your back out and/or break your neck slipping over in the tray, and not in the bath, as you’d have to do some weird yoga move and it would completely kill your relaxation vibes. No, the only way to use a foot scrub would be as part of a full pedicure routine, sat in your dressing gown on the bathroom floor with a towel beneath your feet. And, quite frankly, there are other things I’d rather be doing.)

micro pedi review

If you’re getting the impression that I’m rather lazy when it comes to foot care then you’d be right: that’s why the Micro Pedi is one of my best Amazon purchases ever. A whizz over hard skin once or twice a week keeps my feet smooth and soft (don’t remove too much at once, you need some kind of hoof unless you only ever stroll on sandy beaches or bouncy castles) and the whole process takes approximately thirty seconds. Switch it on (you need batteries but they last for ages – I use rechargeable) and simply run the filing roller over the hard skin, being careful to keep the roller moving and not keep it one place for too long. You don’t want to set your feet on fire! There are different rollers that fit into the handle so you can give your feet an “extreme” makeover (watch the sparks fly) or stick to a regular, sensible coarseness for tackling normal “horniness”. (Again, joke here somewhere but I don’t have the energy.)

Since I bought my Micro Pedi they have introduced a “Premium Gift Set” – for a pound extra you get a pink Micro Pedi, spare extra-coarse rollers, scissors, toe separators and some other stuff that I stopped trying to identify because, to be quite honest, a pound extra even for the spare sandpaper things is a total bargain! Find that set on Amazon here.

Your own “perfect feet” tips? Any particular creams or lotions? I really want to try those treatments that peel off your whole lot of foot skin at once, they sound both gross and brilliant. And I do very much like the Diamancel files for manual foot-sanding…

PS: apologies for the dead skin in the photos. I should really have ordered a new roller for the picture, but I’m about to give birth and so thought I’d just make do with what I had. It’s not even my dead skin, it’s Mr AMR’s! Ha. Sorry to those who may never, ever tune in for another post again. Oh – and the nail polish shown is Shifting Sands by Deborah Lippmann and it’s amazing. Perfect summer nude. Applies beautifully, stays on for an age, is a brilliant “skin tone” that makes your hands look like mannequin hands. You can find it online here – £16.

The post Perfect Feet for the Lazy or Impatient: The Micro Pedi appeared first on A Model Recommends.

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The Whistles Advent Calendar: £30 To Spend! #ad

whistles advent calendar 2015

The Whistles Advent Calendar is a rather brilliant annual event; every December from the 1st until the 24th they have incredible prizes to be won, including a year’s supply of shoes, a trolley dash and a luxury weekend away. But this year they’ve taken things even further with a prize that everyone can claim: £30 to spend instore or online*. From today (4th December) until the 7th, if you enter the advent you will receive £30 to spend on menswear and womenswear – and once entered you’ll be able to share the prize with friends and family so that they have £30 to spend too!

whistles offer 30 to spend online

I’d like to say that now would be a good time to buy those luxe Whistles presents you’ve been bookmarking for special people  – gorgeous scarves and smart little leather bags – but let’s be realistic here. Perks like these don’t come along that often, so I say (shamefully) be selfish! Put it towards something beautiful just for you. Treat yourself to that cashmere jumper you’ve been trying to justify, or this sultry little Bardot top that will instantly update all of your party outfits. (Looks great with high-waisted black jeans.)

whistles sheepskin gilet

On my fantasy wish list? The luxurious longline gilet above – all the glamour of a furry coat but with a modern, understated shape. It would look great worn with everything from jeans to party dresses, thrown on casually with a weekend outfit or layered over a silk blouse for a dressed up evening look.

whistles striped sweater sleeves

And then the Harrison Stripe Cuff Jumper with its lovely detailing on the sleeves. Classic knitwear with an interesting twist, this has a sport-luxe feel thanks to the semi-sheer fabric and the colourful bands at the cuffs. I’m always looking for tops with nice details for when I shoot beauty videos – it’s nice to have something going on in terms of print or pattern when you’re only showing your shoulders upwards!

whistles striped sleeve sweater

You can enter the advent at Whistles here – remember to share the offer with your friends and family and keep checking back to find out about new prizes. Happy Shopping!

Whistles Advent Calendar

*this post has been sponsored by Whistles. Terms and conditions apply – see “rules” beneath the advent box.

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Lancome Grandiose Mascara

Lancome Grandiose

Lancome Grandiose

Lancome Grandiose Mascara is easily the best looking mascara launch of the year. I love what they’ve done with the packaging and rounded shape bottom end. The top end fades to a clear perspex-like plastic that houses a single black rose – it’s just delightful.

Lancome Grandiose Mascara

Lancome Grandiose Mascara

But then… er.. this happens! Here’s the backstory. The difficulties we face with putting on mascara involve doing the ‘other’ eye and not getting decent enough coverage across the hard to reach areas. Crossing the brush over the nose, turning the wrist to reach the eye on the other side and switching to your other hand to apply mascara. Lancome Grandiose Mascara  has a ‘swan neck’ that intuitively avoids cheekbones, nose and eyebrow arch when applying because it is curved at 25 degrees to its axis. WHAT? So, to avoid all these troublesome mascara pitfalls (my eyes are so rolling, just saying), you’ll have to follow some very complex instructions, that includes, “slightly rotate the wand between your fingers a third of the way round; the brush naturally positions itself horizontally over the central third of the eye.” Don’t worry about the other two thirds because there are just as complicated instructions to help you deal with those as well.

Nice idea, horribly over complicated by a set of instructions more tricky than learning how to perform key hole surgery. In fact, that’s probably easier.

The post Lancome Grandiose Mascara appeared first on British Beauty Blogger.

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EcoTools Brush Roll

Eco Tools Brush Roll

The EcoTools Brush Roll falls into the category of ‘This Is Helpful’ when it come to beauty tools. but also ‘This Isn’t Pretty’ in the same category. Brush rolls are marvellous things for keeping brushes clean and tidy – the best thing about the the EcoTools Brush Roll is that inside the comparments are labelled….

Brush Roll

..so you never need to hunt around for individual brushes. I have some of my brushes in the Paul & Joe brush holder, which I love, but the rest are in rather a muddle in a drawer – if you’re tidy minded about your brushes, then the roll is a godsend. It’s also a bonus that you get a brush to either start your brush set or add to. But, the roll itself isn’t beautiful and neither is it particularly well made, never mind that it’s a dull brown colour. When I think of EcoTools I think fresh and bright, but this is a bit, er, depressing! Green? Orange, maybe?

It’s £9.99, launching in June.

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July Makeup and Skincare Favourites

july monthly beauty favourites

Here we are once more; monthly favourites. I have Caroline Hirons with me again so you’ll need to prepare yourself for a fair amount of chatting. In Caroline’s skincare video, at any rate – I edited the makeup video down from thirty-two minutes to about nine, but Caroline has gone for the director’s cut and published something that’s not far off a feature-length movie. Ha! If I were you, I’d grab a glass of wine (but not if it’s still breakfast time) (and not if you’re at work) and make yourself comfy. Perhaps have a little plate of olives to hand? Some breadsticks maybe?

Whatever nibbles and beverage combo you end up going for, you may want to have a notebook ready because there are some gems in these videos. I’ll paste the makeup links below the videos, but for the skincare credits you just need to click through to Youtube at the bottom left hand corner of the video. Enjoy!

Clarins Tinted Moisturiser – I use shade 1: http://tidd.ly/8a694806

Clarins Brow Kit: http://tidd.ly/1f47ced2

PAM London Jan Sewell Makeup – sorry, can’t find this but leave a comment for Caroline and I’m sure she’ll enlighten us!

Becca Shadow and Light, launches 14th August. Pre-order:http://goo.gl/Y5O1YV

Real Techniques Dual Fibre Brush: http://tinyurl.com/oeh33qj

New CID i_glow in Coral Crush: http://tinyurl.com/p2cq5r9

Bourjois Creme Blush in Shade 1, Nude Velvet:http://tidd.ly/f50c7491

Bobbi Brown Palette in Surf & Sand: http://rstyle.me/n/mm3hct6a6

Lancome Grandiose Mascara: http://rstyle.me/n/m63rkt6a6

Urban Decay Subversion and Perversion Mascaras:http://tidd.ly/4d221bc2

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