Something Appy for the Weekend

Every now and then, an app comes along that Blows. Your. Mind. ‘Makeup Genius’ by L’Oreal is one such app. “Bianca, you are going to love this” said my friend Rachael George. She was right, and you will too.

In a nutshell, you stare gormlessly into an oval ‘mirror’ on your phone for a while, and then you can ‘try on’ different L’Oreal make-up looks and products. On your actual face. The virtual make-up moves with you, it’s insane. Afterwards, you can share the results (ranging from the mental to the marvellous) with your social media friends.

As a complete make-up addict, I’m just completely and utterly into it. There’s not really much more to say – it’s free, so download it here and have an incredible, beauty-filled weekend.

Monki Business

Monki helped me remember there was life after a four-day weekend by throwing a wonderful party on Wednesday night. Celebrating their new and improved store at 37 Carnaby Street, music was provided by Mapei and the Braid Bar were busy plaiting everyone’s hair into designs so elaborate that ‘watch You Tube braiding tutorials’ is now top of my to-do list this weekend. Monki is always a great spot for on-trend, fun pieces and pretty good for basics too – I love my high-waisted Monki jeans so much - I just realised I wore every day this week. There were several pieces from their new collection that caught my eye (khaki pleated skirt, floaty, 70’s style yellow kaftan) but the party was pumping so hard that I thought it would be best to go back another time to do a proper shop. That’s number 2 on the weekend plan.  

www.monki.com 

Take a Fashion Pill and call me in the morning

If you like you’re your online shopping fast with a healthy dose of current trend, you’ll love Fashion Pills. Based in Spain, the brand specialises in “the fashion lovers and addicts, the ones who never conform or play by the rules.”

Their team is constantly looking for the latest trends and styles, but more than anything they look to people like you for inspiration. From their Fashion Guides, Lookbooks and editorials, they concentrate on staying on the cutting edge so you can always stay connected.

I love this black and white dress from their own ‘FP’ collection. It’s reduced to just £22 in the sale! It’s got a serious vibe of the ‘Herve Legers’ about it, obviously at a fraction of the cost. I’ll be wearing it with my favourite Zara jumper in the day and with my bestest Sophia Webster heels at night. I’ll take a snap when I actually brave the weather for an evening out. In the meantime, here are some shots of the outfits I’ve planned.

www.fashion-pills.com/uk 

Styled for day

(Clockwise: Conic dress by Fashion Pills, a scarf my mum knitted, jumper by Zara, boots by Topshop)

Styled for night

(Clockwise: Conic dress by Fashion Pills, jacket by H&M, vintage belt, shoes by Sophia Webster)

Banish breakouts, prevent their return

If your skin is anything like mine, it will be a fairly pleasant dream one day and a veritable nightmare the next. There are many things that can affect how your skin behaves; stress, lack of sleep, pollution and poor diet to name but a few. Fortunately, there is a treatment that can help to keep it on the straight and narrow: Murad Blemish Clearing Solution.

Unlike other topical acne treatments, it isn’t packed full of alcohol, which can make your skin flare up. The gel-like formula actually calms your skin down as it works, reducing redness and relieving sensitivity.  It seems to reduce the oiliness too, which is a blessing. You can use it on your face, neck and chest, which is handy for the monthly breakouts I tend to endure.

Obviously, different things work for different people, but this is something I find really effective. Actually, 96% of users had clearer skin after using it for 72 hours.

Murad is a great skincare brand; definitely worth checking out if you haven’t tried their products yet.

www.murad.co.uk