Put on a show with Maybelline Colour Show

So being super busy I find it easy to keep my nails coloured with being so busy all the time! I rarely paid for them to be done at a salon so home colours are my go to for quick nail fixes. I recently spied the Maybelline Colour Show collection whilst browsing for some other cosmetics and the colours caught my eye!

 

 

The collection is a gel based formula which I have to say gives a lovely "professional" finish to a DIY nail. The collection is inspired by the runway and New York (which totally excites me - love the big apple!) The crisp and carefully selected colour range allows you to have a little high fashion in your beauty box...

 

 

 

 

 I love the colour and it is a nice change from the usual red or nude. The design of the bottle is slick and easy to throw into any handbag! But the thing I love the most about this is the design of the brush.... Instead of the usual round brush tip, its it more flat which in turn makes it so easy to glide the polish on to your nails.

 

 

 

This particular shade is called Mauve Kiss 150 and I also have my eye on the most rich Ocean Blue shade too.

 

 

 

 

Have any of you tried this collection? If so I'd love to hear what your favourites are!

 

Until next time...

 

The Original Redhead

 

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Hidden Newcastle & Tempura perfection

After a photo shoot last night (for an exciting client I can't yet share) I was dying for some good food so I left the shoot with a friend in search for something to eat. However, I was in one of those moods where I couldn't decide what my stomach wanted to devour.... So we wandered for a little and ended up in No28 ... I only recently learned of this cool place and for those who don't know... It's a hidden bar nestled away in the upstairs of the Grainger Market in Newcastle! (My mind was blown that it had been there for some time and I hadn't heard or discovered it!)

 

 

 

The place is almost a secret garden crossed with a 70's kitsch nightclub (in a totally cool kind of way!) Above the bar is draped in foliage, beaded stings and a beautiful selection of vintage pendant lights. The side wall is adorned by a black & white full length shot of naked ladies! And obviously complete with a darlick and wall mural of the NY skyline & King Kong. It bizarrely works in the surroundings.

 

 

 

 

 

 

We sat upstairs which was quieter than downstairs and overlooks everyone downstairs. Browsing the menu I wasn't so sure but I went for the Jerk chicken tempura with coconut rice & peas, plantain crisps & mango – £12.50 and my friend went for the Thai green chicken curry with rice & flat bread - £12.50. Okay so I wasn't too sure about what I had ordered as it wouldn't have normally picked a spicy dish.... But the dishes arrived, we tucked in and I was soooo happily surprised! My dish was Tempura chicken cooked to perfection (not too greasy) served on a bead of delicious coconut rice with black eyed peas and a gorgeous jerk Jamaican inspired sauce with mango sauce, horse radish and plantain crisps! Is your mouth watering? I literally couldn't get this in my face fast enough! The Thai green curry arrived with a side of flat breads for dipping, big chunks of chicken and pomegranate seeds sprinkled on the rice. I love the details like the pomegranate & mango sauce... Attention to detail in food is a major plus for me.

 

 

 

Little bit of a naughty option with the Tempura batter but it was so tasty! *heads back to the gym*

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

The menu has a varied range of food from Spanish, Thai, to Jamaican so as you can tell it is as eclectic as the décor. Cannot be more happy to have tried this place and even happier it will now be on my list of places to show people! A true hidden gem! And to tick all the boxes, this place plays an awesome range of retro funk music to get you dancing in your seat! (Oh besides the giant disco ball upstairs, was too big to fit in my handbag to sneak home unfortunately!)

 

 

 

 

So if you're looking for somewhere cool, laid back and a little different from the usual Newcastle scene, No28 is for you!

 

 

Until Next Time...

 

The Original Redhead

 

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Retail & Style Awards

If you keep up to date with my blog or follow my social media... you will know on Saturday night I attended SunFM's Retail & Style Awards! I had been shortlisted for the Most Stylish Blogger Award so it was all very exciting into the run up of the award... Hold tight, this could get a little lengthy...

 

 

So the night promised a 3 course meal, entertainment, a drinks entrance, awards ceremony & a fashion show. I arrived dressed in a floor length gown (which is from Misguided for those who have been asking.) I met up with Lisa Gurthrie from Tried & Tested on the red carpet where we sipped prosecco and chatted. We were then ushered through to the seating area which was laid out with dressed tables ready for an amazing night!

 

 

 

 

From here we were all seated and the Retail Awards began... There were some lovely awards which celebrated customer service, employees and even small retailers! Part way through the retail awards the starters were served and I have to say I was pretty hungry by then...

 

The menu was mouth watering and I was very excited to see what each course tasted like.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

After the main we then had the pleasure of listening to local singer, The Lake Poets and the fashion show which showcased new summer pieces from numerous high street brands which have stores in the Bridges.  

 

 

 

 

 

After the fashion show and The Lake Poets, dessert was then served. It was called a "Build Your Own Made in Sunderland" dessert which consisted of candyfloss, fresh strawberries, popping candy, mango puree, raspberries & a kind of deconstructed Eton mess. I opted for the fresh strawberries and the deconstructed Eton mess (crushed meringue & cream spiked with fresh mint to tingle the taste buds!)

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Mid way through my dessert they started to call the Style awards and it got to the Most Stylish Blogger Award which I had been shortlisted for along with 3 other local bloggers. Now I was truly honoured and grateful to have been nominated and have a tonne of people vote for me to get to that position! I really didn't know who was going to win as we couldn't view how many votes we had and we only found out at the moment they called the winning name. It was unnerving to sit there and wait (I don't envy the Oscars nominees!) They announced the winner who was Lisa Guthrie and I couldn't have been happier for her! We're all in the same boat and it was lovely to see a fellow beauty blogger win the title!

 

 

Lisa collected her award and I congratulated her on the win. Such an achievement and we have been planning to go to more blogging events together. It's always lovely when you're brought together by the things you love! After that tense moment we then watched Izzy Bizu perform (who has a delightful voice by the way) as we sipped our champagne. We laughed and chatted and reflected on our blogging journey! Such a lovely night!!

 

 

 

 

Then I was interviewed by Hazel from Made In Tyne & Wear to chat to her about my outfit along with 2 other ladies who looked beautiful! Then what a lot of people had been waiting for, we got to see Lawson perform. They sounded amazing live and it was such an awesome addition to the evening.

 

 

 

 

I was even lucky enough to meet the guys from Lawson before they performed!

 

 

 

 

 

All in all a great evening and a huge honour to be involved! I'm hoping to be involved in more awards this year and I'd like to give a shout out for everyone who voted. Thank you thank you thank you!

 

Until next time...

 

The Original Redhead

 

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SHORTLISTED | Sunderland's Style & Retail Awards

If any of you follow me on social media, you will know I got nominated for the Sunderland's Retail & Style Awards! This is an awards night held every year which is made up from lots of categories from Most Stylish Blogger (which is what I was nominated for) to a Crowd Pleaser Award.

 

 

 

 

From the nominations, I was shortlisted to the final 4! I shared via social media and told friends and family who happily voted for me. I feel very proud and honoured to have been shortlisted to the final 4 from tonnes of applicants. We all attend this evening and they call the winner on the night (almost like the Oscars haha!)

 

 

The awards ceremony is tonight and I couldn't be more excited. The night promises a 3 course meal, a fashion show, the awards ceremony then entertainment from Lawson, Izzy Bizu & The Lake Poets.It will be a lovely evening to meet some new faces.  It will be hosted in the Bridges in Sunderland and we will then be escorted to the exact location.

 

Time to paint my nails, style my hair, apply my make up and step in to a gorgeous dress!

 

Until Next Time...

 

The Original Redhead

 

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Say hello to Smudge Organic Cosmetics

I'm loving organic products more & more these days. Living in a "throwaway society" I think it's very important to be more mindful of where our products come from and how they are made. So when I was approached by Smudge Organic Cosmetics, I thought this was a great opportunity to try some handmade, organic (and cruelty free) cosmetics made very local to myself.

 

 

 

 

 

The founder & creator of Smudge Cosmetics has a passion for organic cosmetics but didn't love the price tag a lot of them hold. Also, the range was spurred on by recent awareness of animal testing in bigger cosmetic corporations. With this in mind, she done her research and created her own 100% organic lip gloss, then the range expanded from there! All ingredients are sourced inside the UK too - cannot beat a bit of British trade! The company is aimed at people who love organic beauty buys, are conscious of the environment or conscious of what they use on their body but also looking good!

 

 

 

 

 

 

I will soon be reviewing the lip gloss, moisturiser & lip balm. So excited for the lip balm - one of my beauty must haves! I will be posting a review and images via my Facebook/Twitter & Instagram so keep your eyes peeled! I have heard that the range will be expanding into products such as body scrubs, shampoos, conditioner and more cosmetics products too.

 

The brands ethos is true to organic and affordable, but as a new business they really could do with some a little more help. So if you'd like to see them grow and progress on their organic journey you can donate via crowdfunding HERE. I feel like these will be one to watch in the organic beauty market as I've heard the lip balms have already sold out in their 1st week of business.

 

Until next time...  

 

The Original Redhead

 

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Concrete Candles & French Connection Scented Goodies

Bit of a late one but still felt the need I had to show you this in a post! As a Christmas gift I bought my mam the French Connection body set after smelling the hand wash at a friends house just before Christmas. After getting a waft of the delicious hand wash, I rushed to Boots and got the body set which includes 1 x bath foam, 1 x body lotion & 2 x tea light candles.

 

 

 

 

 

 

Can we all just take a minute to appreciate the marble packaging?!! Totally obsessed with marble and French Connection have managed to combine a gorgeously scented set with beautiful packaging. Double brownie points for FC!

 

 

 

Loving the minimalist style of the labels on the bottles! And the fact that the body lotion is a pump bottle which makes it so much easier to load up your hands to moisturise after a bath or shower! 

 

 

 

 Its fari to say, the bath foam didn't last long at all as both me and my mamma' are bath lovers and who can't resist a luxurious bubble bath?!

 

 

 

I can't even begin to do justice and describe the scent in words, but I'll give it a try. Okay so if you can imagine a combination of earthy vanilla with the woody tones of a perfume which linger on the skin. I have to say I was so impressed with this set and it really was the scent that sealed it for me.

 

 

 

So my obsession for different surfaces continues (with my big love for home ware and interiors.) So the marble was a gorgeous feature but matched with the concrete effect candle holders totally made it! I was so tempted to keep this set for myself as it ticks every box for me. The little details really do all add up to a more luxurious item and the fact that the candles are poured wax and not loose tea lights is just the cherry on the cake.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Until Next Time...

 

The Original Redhead

 

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Juicy Shakers & Juicy Cocktails

With Lancôme being the leading in a lot of things in the beauty world I was super excited to attend their Juicy Shakers launch! I arrived at the launch at the Lancôme counter in Fenwick, Newcastle. We were greeted with fruity mini cocktails, friendly, informative staff and a lovely selection of colours from the collection. The product is a lipgloss made up of lip oils and pigmented colour which settles when left standing. This is where is gets a little more interesting...

 

The idea of the product is to shake to combine the oils and pigment together to create a gorgeous texture gloss which tastes and smells like a fruit basket!

 

 

 

Lancôme have really outdone themselves with the range of colours and scents. There seems to be something for every skin tone and everyone's unique complexion.

 

 

 

 

How cute are the mini cocktails?! AND they co-ordinated with the juicy feel of the collection too. We also received a little goody bag of skincare products to try out which I cannot wait to get testing and sampling. Before we left we got booked in for a free 15 minute treatment of our choice from their list. The list varied from hand massage, skincare consultation, brow lesson... I chose a specific eye make up lesson.



Shake it like a polaroid pictureeeeee.... I couldn't resist... And now you have that Outkast song stuck in your head, right?

 

 

 During our time at the launch we explored the different colours, the shaking at using the product. I have to say, this sits so well on the lips and leaves them feeling soft and 'juicy.'

 

 

 

 

 

 Adorable names and they are great mixed too!

 

 

 

 

The applicator is a cute little pointed sponge which you can just dab right on to your lips to create a fresh look.  The Juicy Shakers retail at £18.00 and are the perfect size weather you're on the move, going out with your girls or having a day relaxing on holiday.

 

 

 

 

 

 

They also ran a competition for the best pout and we had to write a little beauty note to our younger selves... I would tell myself to seek more advice about skin and keeping it clean, fresh and well maintained.

 

 

 

Until next time...

 

The Original Redhead

 

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