Shu Uemura is one of those brands that I admire from afar but I'm a bit anxious to try some of their products without going to an actual counter. I found myself in Glasgow with a few hours to kill and along with payday and the fact House of Fraser was having a 2 day brand event, I couldn't resist popping to the counter to have a look.
I had heard infamous things about their cleansing oils so when the sales assistant offered to help decide which one was best suited for my skin, I knew I wasn't leaving that counter without a purchase. The sales assistant was the loveliest girl ever. She sat me down, asked me about my skin and went over the one she thought was best for me. She told me about the ingredients and what good things it'll do for my skin. Sure, it was a little rehearsed in some places but she answered my questions really well.
She offered to demonstrate it for me and she went above and beyond in my eyes. She explained the steps really well and didn't rush the process. She even convinced me to replace my well used Shu Uemura eyelash curler as well. After explaining everything to me and the price and sizes of the cleansing oil, I chose the smaller one and at no point did I felt pushed to buy a bigger bottle or any other products to go with it.
Even my friend was impressed with the service and shelled out for the new precision eyelash curler even though she didn't really need it. But I knew she wanted it really.
First impressions are important to me in a brand and I am exceptionally impressed with my experience. Sure I could make a purchase online but sometimes a little customer service can do wonders. Shu Uemura, I will definitely be re-purchasing.
Vanessa
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This post is basically what I have been wearing on my face lately but it's also things that I have been loving using so we're hitting two birds with one stone here!
I have fallen back in love with my Skin 79 BB Cream again and after getting past the watery stage of it, it's gone back to its usual consistency. I love wearing it on the days where I don't want to wear foundation but still want a little bit of coverage on my ghoulish face.
I'm sure I've mentioned the Benefit Dallas Blush in my last post too but I think it warrants another mention. This is the only boxed powder I own from Benefit and it is still my favourite. I feel like a country girl when I'm wearing this because it gives such a lovely glow and flush of colour.
This will most likely be the third time I've mentioned the Rimmel London Eyeliner, I can't help it. I think it's great. I've been doing the simple eyeliner (with no flick) and mascara look lately and I'm loving it. Looks like I've made an effort but not really. If you get what I'm saying.
I may have mentioned this product in passing but not featured it too greatly here on Parisian Orchid and it's the Maybelline Dream Lumi Concealer. I wasn't much of a concealer fan before but this has literally changed my life. It's such a light highlighting concealer akin to the YSL Touche Eclat but waaaaay cheaper. It's not quite heavy coverage so if you like a heavy coverage concealer then stay clear of this. It gives me just enough to conceal and highlight at the same time. Definitely a re-purchase on the cards with this one.
Can you believe I'm still on the hunt for the perfect mascara? I've been using the Maybelline Rocket Volume Express mascara lately and although I like it enough to keep using it, it's not quite high up in the list as an absolute favourite yet.
What are your current beauty loves?
Vanessa
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We all have different groups of friends. I have ones that I can be outrageously crazy with, ones that I have serious life talks with, ones I know will come with me on my adventures and ones that I have known for years and have been through the most with me and are still around. Collectively, I couldn't be without them.
When I form new friendships, my friendship is unconditional. There are no exams you have to pass, I don't have to reveal stuff about my past and make sure you're ok with it before we can officially put the stamp of 'friendship' onto it. A recent new friendship I have formed got me questioning...if someone asked what we knew about each other, I think I could answer pretty well but the other person would probably know zilch about me except from a pre-formed opinion of me. So now I think I'm stuck in this one-sided friendship in which I am giving out free life advice and getting nothing out of it but frustration.
Never one to shy away from a challenge or to give up too easily, I have been told to step away so that I don't get hurt in the long run but I know my walls are back up and it won't go that far. Should friendship ever stretch to the point where you have to put up your walls?
I'm definitely at that age now where I'm happy to meet new people and not to worry about anything because from what I have learnt, worrying won't get you anything but frown lines. But a friendship means more to me than me being there for the other person. Shouldn't they be there for me too and listen to me rant about the fact someone at work made me an awful cup of tea or the fact that I ate an amazing cheese and bacon burger the other day and I can't get over it? The feeling that I have to keep schtum and listen to the other person pour their heart and soul out to me makes me feel sad because I'm only ever an advice helpline to them.
Perhaps I am jumping to conclusions to quickly and thinking too harshly on the other person but I'm not quite sure how far down the line I should wait until I should step away and think about myself for once.
Such an intense post from me! What are your thoughts? What would you do if you were in a one-sided friendship?
Vanessa
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Whilst perusing the beauty aisle in Boots and being a sucker for their buy one get one half price deal, I stumbled across this eyeliner from Rimmel. As I have been wearing a lot more liquid eyeliner lately, I thought I'd try this out as an alternative to the regular nib eyeliners I have.
The premise of this eyeliner is that the nib is small and can create smaller lines or flicks. When I first saw this, it reminded me of the Eyeko Skinny Eyeliner (which ended up dying on me after about 5 uses!). Application-wise, it is very good. Great for beginners of eyeliner and the professional amongst us. The colour is a true black and it doesn't drag. As with all liquid eyeliners, it takes a while to get used to but once you've mastered it, you can create some great looks with it.
I've worn this eyeliner for around 10 hours and the staying power is quite impressive. There was a little smudging but not much to dismiss the entire product itself. At a purse friendly £5.49, it's a great little product to have and try out if you're experimenting with eyeliner.
Vanessa
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Someone said to me the other day that I need to deal with my confidence. Bearing in mind, I had only met this person once. Once. I didn't think much of the comment at first then I started thinking a little more and then I realised that I have grown leaps and bounds and I certainly wouldn't recognise the person that I was before.
I think confidence or being comfortable with yourself comes from the people you surround yourself with and the experiences that you go through. My study abroad experience literally turned my whole life around and having to go through a period of time as a struggling graduate also made a big difference to me.
I used to be a shy girl that didn't socialise, had trouble making eye contact with people and looked down at the ground whilst I was walking. I think the source of my lack of confidence at the time came from my body image. I wasn't happy with how I looked and I took action. I slowly shed the pounds. I know I'm not 100% of the way there but it's enough.
Starting blogging and putting myself out there on the internet is something that I thought I'd never do and I've loved the journey so far and how welcoming the blogging community can be. Obviously I have the odd off day here and there but I know I'll always be back here.
Working in an environment where I'm speaking to people on the phone for 10 hours straight and going for job interviews have really brought me out of my shell and I really couldn't have asked for better work colleagues who have listened to me rant and rave and told me to man up when I've made silly decisions.
What I'm trying to say is that confidence takes time to build up. And although I can be a little shy meeting new people, basing an opinion of me on one meeting is a sure way to knock my confidence back down. I can't tell what kind of person I'll end up being and I know I have so many more experiences to go through and that's the thing I'm looking forward to the most.
If you've made it to the end of this post without clicking that little 'x', snaps for you!
How have your experiences changed the person you are? Do you think you're better for it?
Vanessa
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It had been a while since I bought any cosmetics despite new releases and a wishlist as long as my arm! A few days after payday, I decided to have a little wander around the beauty aisle and I may have come away with a few things...
Rimmel London Nail Polish - Mind The Gap, Victoria - I don't have anything like this colour in my collection and although I really should be moving onto more dark toned nail polish for the Autumn, I couldn't resist the powder blue colour! Just look. So pretty.
Rimmel London Micro Eyeliner - See Boots and their 'buy one get one half price' deals, it never fails to draw me in! I've been wearing liquid eyeliner a lot more lately and I believe this may be a new product as I hadn't seen it before. The tip is really tiny and brilliant for drawing a simple minuscule line. I won't go into it too much because I will do a separate review on it.
Dior Diorskin Nude BB Creme - Oh cripes. This was kind of an impulse purchase. I had a Debenhams gift card burning a hole in my pocket so I thought I would put it to good use and treat myself to a little something something. My supervisor at work uses this and I've read so many great reviews on it so I parted with my cash for my first Dior purchase. I was colour matched to shade 2 and the counter lady said it was a pretty perfect match. Kind of excited to try this out!
Have you been purchasing any beauty cosmetics lately?
Vanessa
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Hello. Remember me? Probably not. I certainly had to dust off a few cobwebs coming back in here I tell you!
I feel like I've been neglecting my blog lately and not putting as much effort into as I would like but to be honest, I've really enjoyed being away from it. I would love to spend all my time blogging and writing but unfortunately it isn't my job and there is another life I live outside of this little space. Holding down a full time job that has shift work and that also involves nightshifts is difficult. I already sacrifice a lot; most weekends I work, I'm unable to attend family events and sleep. Oh how I miss the sleep. But in saying that, I'm never far away.
Parisian Orchid is such a great hobby for me and fuels my passion for the written word. But any spare time I do get, I spend it seeing friends, making plans and sleeping (if you do nightshifts, you'll understand it puts your whole body out of kilter!).
In an already saturated blogging community, you're never far from a review of the latest product or a monthly favourite so I'm never worried that you won't have anything to read. In saying that, whatever I do write, I hope you know that I put a lot of thought into it and it's from the heart (so a little different!). Gosh, that was so cheesy. Like a four cheese pizza. I digress.
What I'm trying to say is that Parisian Orchid will always be a place for me and you to come to and I will always welcome you with open arms. Come with an open mind or an already formed opinion of me but this blog really does encompass everything about me and hopefully you'll see a little more of me in the next coming weeks.
I miss you <3
Vanessa
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