Inspiration

Hi everyone!

Sorry for being so MIA this month, but I have been so bogged down with exams etc and I am on a giant health kick to try and shift some of the extra Christmas weight. At times like this, I think we all need a bit of motivation and inspiration so this is why I am posting a guest article that is a little bit different from usual. Jackie Clark writes for a website called www.mesothelioma.com which is about cancer but I think you could apply what she says to almost any situation that is affecting you as she sends out a message that I think every girl should hear.

Hope you feel inspired by this article, and let me know if you'd like to read more things like this!

Thanks for reading, don't forget to follow the blog or tweet me at www.twitter.com/celestecohen!

Celeste xoxo

You are Nothing Shy of Beautiful

By: Jackie Clark

The idea that fashion can play an important role in recovery from serious injury or illness may seem a bit bizarre to some.  However, considering the role that maintaining a positive outlook can in one’s overall recovery, the idea is not that far fetched.  How one feels about one’s self can help or hinder medical recovery.    

All women are beautiful.  However, when faced with obstacles such as illness or injury, they may feel that their beauty is not as evident as it is under better circumstances. Their confidence may be undercut by innocent comments that their family and peers make about how “tired” they may look. They may feel their personal power slipping away as their appearance reflects their medical setbacks. How one is perceived by others, can have a pronounced affect on one’s self - perception.

A woman who is experiencing an illness as serious as mesothelioma cancer, for example, may be so preoccupied with doctors and treatments that she has little time or energy to spend on trying to upkeep her appearance.  After all, one might imagine that outer appearance would play an insignificant role in the overall scheme of things.  However, when a woman is ill, her need to feel beautiful is fuelled by a desire to also feel strong and confidently in control once again. Fashion can play an important role in the life of the already-beautiful woman whose confidence has been undermined by her outer appearance.

Adding colour through fashion choices can go a long way toward changing the outer world’s perspective of someone who is chronically ill. The comments that a woman receives about a pretty scarf or about how good she looks in that rose coloured hat can begin to help improve her self esteem or give some relief from feelings of isolation or depression by helping her feel more a part of things. Compliments about how her blue collar matches her blue eyes, for example, can enhance a feeling of self-awareness. This has the potential to bolster the spirit and transport her from dwelling on that which is overwhelmingly discouraging, to those aspects of life that cause one to feel awake and alive.

Stylish bed jackets constructed from beautiful fabrics, hand woven shawls, chunky-knit sweaters, elegant scarves, playful headbands and hats of all shapes and colours are small fashion items that can all play helpful roles in nurturing that feeling of confidence.

Versatile Blogger Award

Hey everyone!

I have been given the Versatile Blogger Award by Izzy at http://www.allthingspretty-izzy.blogspot.com/. I'm so happy to get this because it's the first award I've got for this blog, and it was given to me by one of my favourite bloggers, so a big thank you to Izzy (www.twitter.com/iz222)!

There are 3 parts to this award:

1. Thank the person that gave you the award
2. Share 7 random facts about yourself
3. Give the award to 15 of your favourite bloggers

So starting with the facts:

1. I have been a vegetarian since 20th February 2006
2. I stopped growing when I was 11 - I'm 5ft 4
3. I want to go to Oxford University
4. I am terrified of moths!
5. My favourite food is cheesecake
6. My favourite film is PS I Love You
7. I am obsessed with Enrique Iglesias! :D

The 15 bloggers who I am giving this award to are:

Sabrina and Genevieve http://www.lipsticksandglitters.blogspot.com/

Islay http://www.islaay.blogspot.com/

Kelsey http://www.misscouture17.blogspot.com/

Mel http://www.mediamarmalade.com/

Make Up Greed http://www.makeupgreed.blogspot.com/

Lucy http://www.lucyywrites01.blogspot.com/

Grace http://www.glitterandcarousels.blogspot.com/

Emma http://www.flossiesbeautylove.blogspot.com/

Ember http://www.emberdrake.blogspot.com/

Bow Tied Beauty http://www.bowtiedbeauty.blogspot.com/

Beauty Smarties http://www.beautysmarties.wordpress.com/

Kia http://www.makemeupkia.blogspot.com/

Emma http://www.emsmixedbag.blogspot.com/

Aimee http://www.dreamincolour11.blogspot.com/

Sammy http://www.myladyboudoir.blogspot.com/

I love all these blogs, so it would definitely be worth going to have a look at them because they're fab!

Thanks for reading, don't forget to follow the blog and tweet me at www.twitter.com/celestecohen?
Celeste xoxo

Project Day Zero!

Hey everyone!

Happy New Year!!

So, this post will be a little bit different from what I usually write about, as this has absolutely nothing to do with make up! I've decided to start the Day Zero Project, which is completing 101 tasks in 1001 days (2.75 years).

Since it's the 1st January today, I thought today would be the best day to start. Anyway, I've decided to do this to improve myself and also it's an incentive to save some money (task 29). I love making lists, so having a super long one that I can tick off will just give me a massive feeling of satisfaction. Without further ado, here is my list!

1. Get at least 10 GCSEs at A* (3/10)
2. Get at least 3 As and an A* in my A levels

3. Apply for Oxford University

4. Go on holiday without my family

5. Pass my driving test

6. Go to a music festival

7. Lose 20lbs

8. Join a gym

9. Get a boyfriend

10. Move out

11. Meet a celebrity

12. Save £10 every week

13. Have £1000 in my bank account

14. Cook a meal from scratch every day for a week

15. Get 500 followers on my blog

16. Watch 26 movies, each starting with a different letter of the alphabet

17. Watch every episode of CSI

18. Buy a camera

19. Buy a lottery ticket

20. Host a dinner party

21. Volunteer

22. Grow my hair

23. Go to IMATS

24. Compliment someone every day for a week

25. Make a list of cities I want to visit

26. Go a whole day without saying anything negative

27. Vote in an election

28. Be silent for one day

29. Put away £5 for every task completed

30. Have a conversation with a complete stranger

31. Put together a piece of flat pack furniture

32. Watch the news every day for a month

33. Eat no chocolate for a month

34. Post on my blog at least twice a week

35. Have dinner by candlelight

36. Drink only water for a week

37. Have a girls' night in

38. Get my teeth whitened

39. Go to another Enrique concert

40. Have my fortune told

41. Subscribe to Elle magazine

42. Buy a car

43. Get a manicure

44. Buy a prom dress

45. Have 200 followers on twitter

46. Put my loose change in the bank

47. Go to a PR event

48. Make a new friend

49. Tweet 1001 times

50. Get business cards made

51. Ask for a stranger's number

52. Learn how to play poker

53. Wax my legs

54. Go to the Clothes Show

55. Complete the 5000 Question Survey

56. Go to a fireworks display

57. Don't watch TV for a week

58. Open a cookbook to a random page and make whatever is on it

59. Go see a film on opening day

60. Go to a vegetarian restaurant

61. Do the a-z city challenge

62. Learn how to say 'Hello' in 10 different languages

63. Get PayPal

64. Make a birthday cake for someone

65. Buy Spanx

66. Watch the IMDb top 100 films

67. Meet an online friend in person 

68. Join Weight Watchers

69. Write down all purchases for a month

70. Win something

71. Say 'yes' to everything for a day

72. Leave 10 operation beautiful notes in public places

73. Make a snowman

74. Smile at everyone I see for an entire day

75. Bake cookies

76. Give someone flowers

77. Donate money to charity

78. Get a diary

79. Buy a new calculator

80. Improve my posture

81. See a movie in 3D

82. Get my eyes tested

83. Give a stranger a hug

84. Find out my blood type

85. Go somewhere by train

86. Try 10 new restaurants. (1/10)

87. Get a new phone

88. Spend no money for a week

89. Go to France

90. Fill a picture frame

91. Go to a nightclub

92. By a new perfume

93. Join a club

94. Buy sunglasses

95. Get my jabs updated

96. Organise iTunes

97. Make a balloon animal

98. Go to London during the Olympics

99. Tell 10 jokes in one day

100. Don't cry for a month

101. Buy the Naked Palette

So obviously, a lot of these goals are quite long term and I will be 18 when I finish this so I have plenty of time to attempt some of the things that are more out of reach at the moment. I won't make a regular feature out of this, but if I manage to cross something big off the list, I will just add a little update into the end of a post. At the end of the 1001 days, I will let you know how I did!

Are any of you taking this challenge at the moment? Or do any of you want to start?

Thanks for reading, and let me know your thoughts in the comments! Don't forget to follow the blog or tweet me at www.twitter.com/celestecohen :)

- Celeste xo

What I Got For Christmas

Hey everyone!

I know this kind of posts are very controversial, but I'm not bragging about what I was given - I'm just letting my followers know what I got this year... and I know it's a bit late now, but I wasn't sure whether to post or not! Anyway, I'll stop rambling...

First of all, I got the Nars Danmari Palette which I have wanted for months!

Top (left to right) Hungry Hearts highlighter, Orgasm, Desire
Bottom (left to right) Casino, Super Orgasm, Sin

I have already used all the colours in this palette and they are all so easy to wear - even for someone as pale as me! I especially love the Casino bronzer for contouring.

The next thing I got was the Marc Jacobs Daisy shower gel.


Daisy by Marc Jacobs shower gel

 I love all the Marc Jacobs scents and Daisy was the first one I ever bought. I love the scent and I'm so happy to have the shower gel so I can layer the scents with my Daisy perfume as well. I am really looking forward to using it!

I also got an OPI mini set from the Touring America collection:


Left to right: My Address is 'Hollywood', French Quarter For Your Thoughts, A-taupe The Space Needle, Honk If You Love OPI

 I have French Quarter For Your Thoughts on my nails at the moment and I love it! It's such a pretty, light grey which is perfect for this time of year. I can't wait to try out the other three in this little set.

The last thing I got was the OPI Correct & Clean Up pen:

OPI Correct&Cleanup

This is such a good idea because it has such a thin tip, it's so easy to get to the edge of the nail to remove any smudges that have been left from painting the nail. It's also really handy to clean up the cuticle so you get a perfect, crisp line.

That's everything I got for Christmas this year (other than a super soft Gucci scarf) and I'm so happy with everything I got! I'd love to hear what you got, so leave me a comment below? Don't forget to follow the blog with the link on the side and tweet me at www.twitter.com/celestecohen?

Thanks for reading,
Celeste xoxo

New Years Eve outfit ideas

Hey everyone,


It's Sabrina and Geneviève! As you might remember (or not if you are new to this blog) we are back with another guest blog.


For new years eve, sequins are a must! On your shoes, in your hair, on your eyes, on your lips and on your clothes! It's probably the only time of the year where you can go crazy with glitters!


We have come up with those ideas for this time of the year!


The first montage is only dresses!

We find that those dresses can fit anybody and can easily be toned down with a black blazer on top and some black shoes. There are dresses for any body type and every style!


The next one is less out there, but it's still funky.

Hope you've enjoyed our ideas and that this will inspire you :)

What was your favourite trend of this year and what will be the next trend that you look forward to in the spring/summer of 2012? We loved the sequin trend of course, the leather and the feathers trend. Leave a comment below with your favourites!

Don't forget to check our blog at: www.lipsticksandglitters.blogspot.com and our twitter account @Sabri_Gene !

Happy New Year,
Sabrina et Geneviève xoxo

NOTD: OPI, French Quarter For Your Thoughts

Hey everyone!

Some of you may have noticed I have been a bit MIA this month. This is partly because I have had so many exams and deadlines and also because I have been away for the past week or so and I just got back today. I will be back on the blog from today so you can expect a lot more posts from me from now on!

Anyway, I have just painted my nails French Quarter For Your Thoughts by OPI. This polish is a pale grey and is part of the touring America collection, which is still available in John Lewis.



French Quarter For Your Thoughts - OPI

Before this, I spent 20 minutes taking off Razzle Dazzle by Deborah Lippmann, which is such a pretty polish, but a nightmare to take off! Then I applied an OPI base coat, two coats of the polish and then a coat of the OPI top coat.

French Quarter For Your Thoughts

I really like the colour of this polish; anything neutral is great for this time of year! I've never worn this polish before, so I'm not sure about how long it will last before it chips, but if it's anything like the other OPI polishes I have, I don't think I'll be disappointed.

Thanks for reading everyone, don't forget to follow the blog with the link on the side of the page and come and say 'hello' on twitter at www.twitter.com/celestecohen!

Let me know what you think of the polish in the comments below? Hope you all had a fab Christmas!
Celeste xoxo

International Beauty Blog Directory

Hey everyone!

Just a quick post today, letting you know about a new place to list your blog. The IBBD is a brand new website dedicated to advertising your beauty or fashion blogs in an easy to search database! Anyone can join and it's a great place to find new people to follow.

I joined on Monday and as it's so new, there were hardly any people on there, and I already followed a lot of the people who had joined, but I have a good feeling that it will grow super quickly!

Just so you know, I am no way affiliated with this website, I just think it's an absolutely fabulous idea and it looks like a really good way to help your blogs grow!

If you want to join, go to http://www.internationalbeautyblogdirectory.blogspot.com/ and just fill in the form... simple as that!

Happy blogging :)
Celeste xo

Urban Decay Naked2 Palette

Hey everyone!

You will probably have heard the massive hype around the sequel to the cult favourite, Naked Palette. This went on sale on the 2nd December in the US, and as usual, we have to wait for it here in the UK... until February!

The palette comes with 12 neutral 'taupe and greige' shades, a mini lip gloss and a double ended brush. The case looks a lot more metallic and heavy duty than the first palette (which I still don't have!! :O )!! There are 5 brand new shades in this palette, three re-promotions and four permanent colours.

The shades included, from left to right, are:

• Naked: this is the namesake shadow which is a shimmery pink shadow.
• Half Baked: this shadow was in the original palette and is a shimmery golden bronze shadow.
• Booty Call: this is a brand new shade and it's described as a shimmery cork colour.
• Chopper: this is another permanent shadow which is a shimmery copper with silver glitter in it.
• Tease: this is a brand new shadow which is a matte pale brown.
• Snake Bite: another new shade which is a dark, shimmery bronze with metallic undertones.
• Suspect: the second re-promote in the palette. It's a shimmery golden beige shadow.
• Pistol: a brand new shade which is a shimmery grey/brown.
• Verve: the third re-promotion in the palette, it's a pearly pink, shimmery shadow.
• YDK: another permanent colour; this is a cool toned, metallic bronze.
• Busted: the last new shade. This is a shimmery deep brown.
• Blackout: a re-promotion. It's a matte black shadow.

The brush is the Good Karma double-ended shader and crease brush which is only available in the palette; it's also cruelty free! The mini lip gloss is a Lip Junkie gloss in Naked, which is quite a nice colour.

Overall, I do think this is quite a nice palette as I love my neutral eye shadows! If I had the original palette, I might think it's slight over kill as the two palettes do look quite similar... but I am an Urban Decay junkie who has been deprived of the first Naked Palette which means I am likely to get both!

Thanks for reading, don't forget to follow the blog, or tweet me at www.twitter.com/celestecohen! What do you think of the Naked2 palette?

-Celeste xo

Gareth Pugh for MAC

Hey girls!

Gareth Pugh is a London based designer who is famous for his highly unwearable couture that until 2007, were only seen on catwalks and unavailable to purchase. He has teamed up with MAC to design some fabulous couture packaging for some products that are absolutely perfect for this time of year!

The packaging is very square and a lot of it is made from metal, so it's quite weighty! It features an uber stylish cross the products with limited edition packaging which is perfect if you're a collector... but perhaps a tad OTT if you're just a casual make up wearer!

Top: Deceit Pigment
Bottom: Guise Pigment

These are the two limited edition pigments from the collection. Deceit is a deep purple which is fabulous for a winter smokey eye and Guise is a very cool toned, silvery white pigment that would look stunning as a highlight with a totally matte look. Both of these pigments are £24.50 each.



Left: Ardent Cream Shadow
Right: Obscura Cream Shadow

 These two cream shadows are a cream to powder formulation and are supposed to leave a 'liquid metal' finish on the skin. Ardent is a deep purple, very similar to the pigment and obscura is a very shimmery greyish silver. These limited edition cream shadows, which come in mirrored compacts (handy!!) are also £24.50 each.

Flight Lash

These false lashes are £18, which I'm not too sure about as they're sooo out there, when would anyone ever get a chance to wear them!? They'd be fine for an avid MAC collector, but I doubt many people will buy these lashes.

Studio Fix Boldblack Lash Mascara

This mascara is £13.50, which is the normal price for the MAC mascaras. It has a plastic brush, so I guess it would be good for lengthening and separating. This mascara is supposed to be super black and really long lasting, so it sounds good to me!



Left: Graphblack Technikohl Liner
Right: Greyprint Technikohl Liner

 These mechanical liners aren't particularly unique colours, as you can get a black or grey mechanical liner anywhere. They're £16.50 each, which is quite expensive, so I think these liners will only appeal the the MAC or Gareth Pugh super fans!



Left: Fervent (Satin)
Right: Restrict (Cremesheen)

Fervent is a very vampy, deep purple shade that looks like it would only be for the bravest of us! I would love to wear this kind of colour, but as I am so pale, it just makes me look so dead! Restrict is a pale pink, nude which would look fabulous on some people, but not myself, so I'll be giving these lipsticks a miss too. The lipsticks cost £20.50 each.

Left: Outrage Lipglass
Right: Vacant Lipglass

Outrage is a shimmery plum purple lipglass and Vacant is a pale, less shimmery, lilac colour. I'm not a massive fan of MAC lipglasses because they're just sooo sticky! These lipglasses cost £19 each which is a lot more than normal lipglasses.. but I do prefer the packaging.

Strada Powder Blush

Strada is actually a permanent PRO blush, but it comes in a compact with a mirror and the edgy design on it which is carved into every powder product of the collection. It's a nice, pale pink which would look really pretty as a highlight... but it costs £26!!

Elude Beauty Powder

Again, another pale pink which is quite similar to the Strada blush. It comes in a compact with a mirror as well... but is almost double the price at a massive £44! Yes, you did read it right, this product is £44. Enough said.

Left: Hyper Nail Lacquer
Middle: Inert Nail Lacquer
Right: Ascension Nail Lacquer.

Hyper is a deep blue, pearlised nail polish that's a bit metallic and is very on trend for winter this year. Inert is a greyish nude that also has a pearlised finish and Ascension is a grey polish with blue and violet reflects in it. All of these polishes are very appropriate for the season and come in seriously stylish bottles - these are £19 each.

Square Handled Buffer Brush

This is a Kabuki styled brush on a modern square base which I'm sure would be very useful to a lot of people, but I don't think the square handle would be very comfortable to hold and MAC make buffer brushes that are cheaper than this anyway. It's £41.50.

Gareth Pugh for MAC Make Up Bag

I don't know whether this bag is leather or not, but it's quite sleek and I like the glossy finish... but I don't think I'd pay £60, just for an empty make up bag!

Overall, I love the packaging and there are a few nice products in this collection, but it's just not good value! Everything is too expensive, so I won't be making an order this time but I'd love to see if you get anything form the collection! It's on sale now in the UK and the US, so I'm assuming it's on sale in other countries as well.

Let me know your thoughts in the comments below, and don't forget to follow!

Thanks for reading,
Celeste xo