GlossyBox January 2012 Valentines Edition

I was really pleasantly surprised to see that Glossybox have changed their packaging for the January 2012 Valentines Edition to a hot Barbie pink, opposed to their usual dusty baby pink and black packaging. I think the packaging screams girly - I love, love, love it! Accompanied by a little heart sticker to stay on track of the Valentines theme.

This months box contained:

- Clarins Extra-Firming day cream.
- Clarins Extra-Firming night cream.
- Murad Skin Perfecting Primer.
- Eyeko Skinny Eyeliner
- First Aid Beauty Body Moisturiser.

A really good line up of products if you ask me! I'm really excited about a few of them.

A face wash by the brand First Aid beauty was featured in a previous Glossybox, which I wasn't all that keen on as the smell put me off slightly. So, I am very dubious about trying the body lotion as you're stuck with the scent on your body.

I am really looking forward to trying out the Clarins day & night creams, as I have been looking for some new face creams to try out.

It's lovely to see that Eyeko have updated their packaging. I think it looks really trendy, eye catching and modern.

I know that every bodies Glossyboxes usually vary for different products. What did you get in your Glossybox this month?

My Makeup Collection/Storage

I always find it enjoyable perusing through other bloggers ways of storing their makeup/makeup collection posts. I find them inspiring and they can give you some great ideas of how to set your own up. Plus, I think we all do love a good nosey if we're being truthful. It must be a woman thing?

Quite a while ago, I uploaded a post about My Dressing Table set up and how I stored my beauty essentials. However, I haven't written an actual makeup collection post before. Due to me soon moving out, and into my first home with my boyfriend, I thought that I would put this little post together. As in the next month, my makeup storage will look completely different as I will be in a completely different location. I'm really excited!

As before, I'm still storing my makeup in the little chest of drawers below. You can pick yourself one of these up from WHSmiths - they have all different designs, so you can choose one to suit yourself.

The drawers consist of three small drawers, two medium and one large drawer at the bottom.


Here is how I store my makeup brushes;

I wanted them to be at hand, in an easy to reach place. I picked up these little vase/fishbowl type glass bowls from Hobbycraft as well as the small clear beads inside to aid the brushes to be kept in standing position.

Most of my makeup brushes consist of Sigma brushes, with the odd MAC and couple of Elf brushes. I also have just a few random ones which I've accumulated over the years from various makeup kits.


Next up, I have a little black box where I keep my rings, and an old Glossybox where I store my false eyelashes. The empty Glossyboxes come in really handy for storage.

Now that you have seen my actual storage methods, I've broken down the photos into what I keep in each drawer of my Cupcake chest. I do like to be as organised as I can, keeping similar items together in one drawer.

The 1st drawer; Various Highstreet Lipsticks

Lipsticks by Topshop, MUA, Barry M, Revlon, Elf, and Sleek.



The 2nd Drawer; High End Lipstick brands

MAC lipsticks in the shades - Myth, Creme D'nude, Viva Glam Gaga 2, Hue, Creme Cup x2, Shy Girl, Vegas Volt, Costa Chic, Impassioned, Cruella Deville Venomous Villains, Up the Amp, Ravishing, Snob.
YSL Lipstick in Peach Fambourg.

The 3rd Drawer; Other lip products both a mixture of high and low end brands.

Lipliners by MAC & Topshop, Lipglosses by MAC, Dior, Eyeko, Barry M, MeMeMe, Bourjois.



The 4th Drawer; Blushers and Bronzers

MAC MSF Natural in Medium Plus, MAC MSF in Soft & Gentle, MC Bronzer in Refined Golden, MAc Blushers in Style, Well Dressed, Blushbaby & Dessert Rose, Elf blushers in Candid Coral, Tickled Pink, Pink Passion, Elf Bronzer, Bourjois Chocolate bronzer & Bronzers by Gosh, H&M, Eyeko Tinted Cream.



The 5th Drawer; Foundations, Concealer, Tinted Moisturisers.

MAC Studio Fix Fluids in NW20, NW22 x2, NW25 and NW30, Revlon Photoready foundation in 004, 005 x2 and 007, Benefit High Beam highlighter, Chanel Mat Lumiere in 50, Lancome concealer, various Dior, Clains & Bobbi Brown samples, No7 & Liz Earle tinted moisturiser, Vivo highlighting cream.



The 6th Drawer; All things eye related - Shadows, liners, mascara.

Various liquid liners, eye pencils in various brands, mascara, x2 Sleek eyeshadow palettes in Storm & Original. Urban Decay naked palette, MAC pigment pot, Urban Decay palette (not sure on the name, but it has a gun on the packaging, HD Brows palette, various Barry M dazzle dusts, MUA pots, Elf duos and H&M shadows. Empty MAC quad (for when I travel).


My larger palettes;

MAC eyeshadow palette (incomplete) with shades Carbon, Nylon, Woodwinked, Satin Taupe, Wedge.
Elf 32 pc eyeshadow palette and eBay Blush Palette.


My false eyelashes;

Various eBay lashes, Vivo, MAC and random glues.

So, there you have it - my makeup collection/storage in all it's glory. I do feel that it has grown rapidly since joining the beauty community. However, i do not feel the need to hoard crazy amounts as some do. Collecting vast amounts of makeup is quite a few peoples hobbies, just not for me. All the makeup I do have, I use and none goes to waste. If i do come across something I don't use, I will usually pass on to my Mum, sister or friends rather than hoard it.

I'd love to see your posts, so if you have them, feel free to link me in the comments.

How do you store your makeup? What do you think to makeup collections? Are you an impulse buyer? Do you buy something just because it's raved about? Or do you prefer to only repurchase when you've ran out? I'd love to hear your thoughts..



Primark Haul: January 2012

As I mentioned in my last blog post, I've recently had a little Primark splurge over the last weekend. i picked up quite a few lovely pieces and for the mere grand total of £40. I always enjoy looking at other peoples Primark hauls, just to give myself a little idea of what they currently have in store and if anything tickles my fancy.

So, here is what I picked up;

Faux Fur trimmed gloves - £2 (reduced from £4)

Skull print scarf - £4

Leopard Print scarf - £4

Striped jumper - £8

Skinny Jeans - Both £11 each

I've been after a pair of stonewash bleached jeans for so so long now. I was really happy to stumble across these bargains in Primark, so I picked them up in a flash. I think they'll suit really well with the new jumper I purchased.

If you have posted a Primark haul lately, I'd love you to leave me a link in the comments below. I'm such a nosey parker.



Lego House

Shirt: Vero Moda  |  Faux fur gilet: Primark  |  Bag: eBay  |  Boots: Primark  |  Leggings: Topshop 

I have 100% fallen head over heels (no pun intended) in love with my new boots. I bought them recently on a little trip to Primark, and they haven't left my feet since. I feel that I shall most definitely get my use out of them. I've also been teaming this faux fur gilet with pretty much any outfit, as it is one of those easy staple items which you can sling over any old outfit.

I'm struggling slightly to find a new area to take my outfit photos. At the moment, I have a large blank wall to shoot in front of, but when I move in my with boyfriend, I know that it will be rather difficult to find somewhere to stand so that I still have a white background.

In house news, I have been buying lots of lovely little things for my dressing room including; wallpaper and a gorgeous picture of Marilyn Monroe sitting in front of a mirror applying her lipstick. I adore it. Literally cannot wait to move in! It's roughly looking at the middle of February - so not long now! Waaaah, I'm going to be a grown up.

I've also recently done a Primark haul, if that would be something you'd be interested in seeing, then let me know in the comments below.

How have your weeks been so far? Are you all sticking to your New Years Resolutions?

Battle of the Foundations

Calling all beauty bloggers! I am beckoning you over for your much needed help and advice.

I have recently discovered to my absolute horror, that my all time favourite foundation; Chanel Mat Lumiere has been discontinued. *Cue drastic music* 

That's right, my old ye faithful is no longer available to buy, and to make matters worse, I'm literally on my last drops. *Cue temper tantrum*

After finally getting over the initial woe of the idea that Chanel Mat Lumiere will never touch my face again, I came to realisation that a new foundation was in order. Now, I know what you're all thinking - MAC. Yes, MAC is amazing, and I do love Studio Fix fluid. But, there is just something which just doesn't compare to my previous Chanel. I don't really think fix fluid photographs well on my skin and it a little too matte for my liking. I love the full coverage, but I also enjoy a slight dewy glow to my skin without looking like a shiny grease monkey.

A mission was in order: Mission Foundation Search/Chanel replacement.

I set off to my local department store and made a bee line for the brands I'd never tried out before; Bobbi Brown, Dior and Clarins.

The beauty assistants were very helpful in helping me find a new foundation which could be a good Mat Lumiere replacement. I feel a pay rise in order for them. As they were all extremely helpful and I didn't feel I was being pushed into buying something I didn't want. They also all really took the time and effort to help me decide and test the products.

I came away with the samples above:- Bobbi Brown Luminous Moisturising Foundation (shade natural 4), Clarins Everlasting Foundation (Shade Chestnut) and Dior Skin Forever (shade 032).


Here is what each foundation looks like when applied to my skin..

My overall impressions.

Clarins = Smells lovely. Great colour match. Bit too light coverage for my liking. Photographs OK, but I look a little pasty.

Dior = Easy to blend. Full coverage. Can look cakey. Photographs well without making me look like a ghost. Smells OK.

Bobbi Brown = Full coverage. Difficult to blend. Looks far too yellow on my skin. Cool tones. Has great staying power.


Now here is where you guys come in. Which foundation do you think suits me best? Are there any you prefer or have tried? cast your votes now!

Latest New Year Girls Fashion Dresses Trends 2012

The Latest New Year girl dresses trends must excuse adding new clothes for your collection? Make sure that it's essential, such as sometimes you we are going back to school, starting a new job, or sometimes just want something for outgoing and relaxing at the weekend.

Our Department clothes Teens have very recent trends of fashion girls clothing. Mix and match styles go by their appearance.

Whether you  downloads a single part of jewelry girls complement existing outfit, Get kitted with one of the seasons, the last girls dresses or stock up on wardrobe basics such as girls ' jeans or leggings, you  will see what you want in our selection of clothing for girls.

Whether you are looking for something smart or accidental, something hot or something quirky, EC got it all. We are not inspiration from the latest styles and trends of fashion, pop and Smurf. Fashion is moving quickly, and by providing the hot girls fashion at low prices, we can help you move with it.

From sports to glam, bling, punk to indie to pretty-regardless of style girls clothing is, you can make it work for you.

My Unwanted Beauty Box: January

Before I get into this blog post, I would first and foremost like to thank my lovely friend Maxine for planting this little seed of an idea in my head, after watching one of her vlogs.

Since the New Year, I haven't really set myself any New Years Resolutions as per say. However, after watching Maxine's vlog about using up makeup, I thought to myself "I have to do this!" As a beauty blogger, it's rather easy to get sucked into the whole 'Monkey see, Monkey want' syndrome when it comes to makeup and beauty products. This has resulted in me ending with with drawers and boxes full of makeup/products/lotions/potions/you name it which I don't really need. Even after buying all of these items, I still stick to repurchasing my favourite products, thus, then leaving loads of barely used products.

The whole idea of this Beauty Resolution is so that I can use up lots of my barely touched makeup.

Here's what I've done: (and you can do it too!)

- Sort through your makeup and beauty products. Get together all the items which you never use, or which need using up!

- Store them all together in some kind of box.

- Vow to use those products daily until used up, and save your favourite products until then!

Here's whats in my unwanted beauty box;



What's in there? & the reasons they're there?

Bodyshop Pomegranate Bodybutter
I hate the smell of this. I actually bought this online not knowing what it smelled of and as soon as it arrived, yack! I hated it. I'm almost through it though. I use it mainly on my legs so that the smell is out of my noses proximity.

Loreal Shampoos
These are from my hair dye kits, which always end up building up and I never use. Hey, it's shampoo! Might as well whack it on the head!

Neutrogena Blackhead Scrub
I usually use my Liz Earle cleanse and polish, so everything else for my face gets pretty much neglected. I have officially put my Liz Earle to the back of my drawer and doing this little swapsie to use up this product.

Simple Toner
Same as above really, I prefer the Liz Earle toner. This just needs using up.

Soft & Gentle deodorant
A huge big cloud of white smoke? No thanks, say no more.

Spa magik salt brushing
I usually use Soap & Glory's Breakfast scrub once a week, but after receiving this salt scrub in a Glossybox, I haven't gotten round to trying it out.

Avon Soloutions day/night cream
I have far too many face creams, and these are the ones I never tend to use.

Eyeko and Bodyshop lipgloss
I hate lip gloss in a squeezy tube formula, it goes on so messy and your seem to have no control over it. I'll just be using them for work every day, but sticking to my old ye faithful lipsticks at the weekend.

Elf blush
This shade is Tickled Pink. i never really get round to using it, but after using this colour for the past two days I actually really like it for day wear. This may end up being repurchased.

Tiny samples from MAC and Pixi
I have too many teeny samples floating around making my drawers look messy so they need using up.

MAC NC35 Studio Fix Fluid
I am not a cool shade at all, this foundation is far too yellow one me. Lord knows why the lady at MAC matched me up to this colour. It was my first ever MAC foundation and I still have it now. It's almost gone and I'm so glad as then I can save the empty for the 'Back to MAC' scheme.

MAC Creme Cup lipstick
I really need to finish this lipstick off so I can save the empty for 'back to MAC'. I love this lipstick and always repurchase it every time I run out.


So, there we have it, lots of little items which will finally get to fulfil their makeup destiny and actually make the journey onto my face! Ha ha. I do think this is a really good idea to save yourself some money and also so not to waste previously bought products which you might have just bought on a whim.

Let me know if you're joining in the Unwanted Beauty Box Resolution...

Cross my Heart

 Cross Tee: DIY Tutorial here  |  Shrug: Primark  |  Ring: YSL Arty Replica eBay  |  Jeans: Primark

I haven't worn this tshirt in a while. I actually went through a phase of wanting to DIY my clothes, and this was one of the creations I came up with. I wore this outfit on Saturday and just had all the girls round at mine for tea and cheesecake all afternoon. You should have seen the pile of teabags we got through! It was a lovely afternoon of myself and six other girls, with cups of tea in hand and lots to chatter about. I love a good old chinwag with the girls.

If you follow me on Twitter, you'll see that I've been doing a lot of chatter about moving in with my boyfriend. I'm literally so excited to move into our first home together!

I will be sharing all things that a buy, and the decor on my blog. The best thing is, I shall be having my very own dressing room - just like the name of my blog, Lauren's Dressing Room. We've already been buying lots of bits for it including a lovely picture for the wall, wallpaper, a dressing table, fitted wardrobes. For those of you who have already requested a house tour/dressing room tour, I shall most definitely be sharing that at some point when we're all moved in and settled.

I can't wait to make it into my dream home with my lovely boyfriend. *Cue awwwwwws*

How have your weekends been?



Medium Hairstyles- Options are endless

If there is one certain length of hairstyle that offers the most styling options, it would be the medium length hairstyle. This style is great for a workplace style and it travels well into the formal event and even informal occasions.

The style can be dressed up with hair clips or partial updos and it can be worn down and disheveled for an undone look. Besides the many options available from the medium length, the actual hairstyle can also be cut in many different ways.

Layers - The addition of long layers to the medium hairstyle give it a lighter, flowing look.  Ask your stylist if layers would work for your current hairstyle.

Bangs - Add soft sideswept bangs for a modern look.

Curls/Straight - Go all over curly or all over straight. These are styles you can create on your own and they offer great variety in your look.

See the latest in the ALL NEW Medium Hairstyles Gallery

MAC Mineralized Skin Finish Soft & Gentle

MAC Mineralized Skin Finish - Soft & Gentle (£20.50)

This is my latest purchase from MAC, the MSF in Soft & Gentle. I've been after a highlighter for a while now, and after using MSF Natural quite a lot (and seeing that it lasts ages!) I decided to invest in this little treasure. Sparkly huh?

I apply it along my cheek bones, down my nose and on my collar bones to add a nice little extra shimmer on nights out. I'm not really a fan of a matte-finish face, but I do also like to look oil free. When using a matte foundation, this product can be the perfect little bit of icing on the cake to make your skin have a healthy looking glow.

I'll now leave you with some pretty photos...

I also love the look of the Mineralized Blushers, but have yet to purchase one. What are your favourite highlighters?