Homemade Children’s shorts from an old T-shirt or Shirt!

Posted on April 26, 2012 by Briar Rose Beauty

Last year I came across the most amazing post on Rookie Moms which teaches you to make shorts for children from an old t-shirt or shirt. This is really really easy method which uses the natural curve of a t shirt to do most of the work! I tried this out on a shirt I had picked up from a charity shop for 50p ages ago, simply because I loved the pattern. When I saw this tutorial I thought GREAT! Something finally I can use shirt for (my PLSH gets antsy if I have too much ‘tat’ lying around).

It took me about 30 minutes to turn an old shirt into brand new pair of gorgeous shorts for my youngest BRoseBeauty. I am sure this must be either witchcraft or voodoo because I am not by any means great with a sewing machine, I took lessons at school when I was fourteen, but other than that I am self taught and yet 1/2 hour later violà there were a pair of shorts!

All I needed was the shirt, some thread, some elastic the size of my son’s waist and my sewing machine. Easy Peasy. You don’t even need a measuring tape, as you use a pair of your child’s existing shorts for the dimensions.

This really is sewing for dummies. You simply fold your shorts in half, and lay them on one side of the t-shirt, draw round and cut and then flip over the material and draw round and cut the other side of the t-shirt. Then put the bits together, sew round and attach elastic to the top. If you place this at the bottom of the t-shirt you can use the existing hem as the hem for the bottom of your shorts meaning even less sewing!

In total these cost me about 70p to make, rather than the £10 I see in stores for a pair of shorts. Anyone with small children knows how quickly they go through clothes, I simply can’t afford to be forever buying them new ones, which is why I went looking for a cheap easy way to make some myself.

(please excuse the creases in this pic, my son sat on them before I got him dressed)

These are not the most well made of any shorts you will see, but they survived a whole summer on my son last year and still fit him to wear for this summer too. Not bad for 70p.

These were such a success that my oldest BRoseBeauty has been clamouring for his own pair ever since! My PLSH is now hiding all his clothes from me as I inspect them for damage so I consign them to my boy’s shorts pile!

To watch the full tutorial on how to make them watch below (this was tutorial I watched to make mine)

A special special thanks to Heather and Whitney from Rookie Moms for posting this wonderful tutorial!

Loving LUSH: A French Kiss

Posted on April 24, 2012 by Briar Rose Beauty

Hello you Beauties!

Today I woke up in a bit of a grump, because the second I sat up in bed I realised I had slept funny and had cricked my neck in the night (i’m also having dark thoughts towards the four hours of ironing I did yesterday). As I am sure you all know this is a major pain, but with two small BRoseBeauties around me all day this really is a nightmare. If they are not begging to be carried or pulling on my arm to show me something, they are knocking in to me, leaving toys underfoot (which I can’t now see as I can’t move my head) or somehow jarring my body at least every 5 minutes.

You might be thinking this is me exaggerating, but NO! I know this to be true. I kept count for an hour this morning how many times they made me wince in pain.

So in desperation this afternoon, once both boys were having a nap, I decided to ignore the mounds of washing up/ironing/tidying and general cleaning that I seem to have to do everyday and instead decided to take a long hot bath in an attempt to ease my pain a bit.

As I was feeling particularly sorry for myself I thought I’d go one step further and raid my LUSH basket for something to help relax me and cheer me up. My PLSH had bought me A French Kiss a little while ago as he knows of my long established love of lavender, but hadn’t got round to using it until today.

These normally have a sprig of lavender in the top, but one of my BRoseBeauties has made off with it before I got to use it, sigh. However it really wasn’t necessary, as the scent of this one is lovely and strong anyway.

This bubble bar is simply amazing. It filled my bath to the brim with gorgeous foamy bubbles and turned the water with a beautiful lavendery-(funny that)lilac colour.

(please note this is after my bath so most of the bubbles are gone, I took one before but there were so many bubble that you couldn’t see the colour of the water!)

This bath looked and smelt amazing but by far the best thing about this bath was just how moisturising this bath was. It made my skin feel so so soft and has left a faint lavender scent to it. According to LUSH it is the inclusion of the Extra Virgin Coconut Oil that makes the bath so creamy, but whatever it is this is a major plus in my book. I LOVE this bubble bar!

I spent a good 45 minutes in the bath, with everything but my nose and mouth submerged and by the time I got out I really did feel more relaxed, and my bad neck no longer gave that awful twinge of pain whenever it was jarred. Don’t get me wrong, this wasn’t a miracle cure, my neck still aches, its just more of a dull manageable ache now.

Once the scent of this bubble bar had been finalised Noriko designed the look to imitate a traditional Japanese sweet which is wrapped with twists of muslin, which coincidently looks like a heresy kiss, and where the inspiration for the name came from. I really like the look of this one, it is very pretty without being overly cutesy.

This has shot straight into my top five favourite LUSH products (possibly even into the number 2 spot) and will be one I will be getting again and again it is just simply gorgeous and made my skin feel gorgeous too.

These are priced at £3.95 which is on the more expensive side of LUSH products but well worth it in my humble opinion.

Well done LUSH, yet again I am in love! x

Ingredients:
Sodium Bicarbonate, Cream of Tartar, Sodium Lauryl Sulfate, Lauryl Betaine, Perfume, Extra Virgin Coconut Oil ,Cocamide DEA, Rosemary Oil, Thyme Oil, Lavender Oil, Lavender Absolute, Lavender Sprig

Konad Nail Stamping: Amazing for the Artistically Challenged

Posted on April 23, 2012 by Briar Rose Beauty

Hello again Beauties!

Today I am going to be talking about a product/concept that has changed the way my nails look, the Konad nail stamping system. I first saw someone talking about and using this on YouTube (where else of course!) and I thought it looked perfect for me because I am NOT artistic. Not even in the slightest.

My BriarRoseBrother can draw anything in the most dazzling detail (for his GCSE art exam he drew Gaudi’s Cathedral), but I struggle to make my pictures even vaguely distinguishable to other people, my boys very quickly learnt not to ask me to draw for them. So when it comes to nail art I struggle even more. I have very small hands, size S rings are often too big, so of course I have very small nails too and add that to the fact that the brushes always seem too big and I that have to do a whole side using the wrong hand, it really means a big diaster.

Then the nail stamping system came along. I’m talking about the Konad sets as these are the ones that I have, but they all work roughly the same way. This is a system where you swipe a special nail polish (basically a polish that is a bit more viscous than normal polish) over an image plate and then use a stamp to transfer the image on to your nails. Once you have the done this for all the nails you simply cover with a top coat and voilà, instantly beautiful nails that make you look like you have the most skilled hand ever when it comes to drawing.

It takes a few goes to master the technique of using these, but once you have your nails look really pretty! There is no way I would ever be able to do that freehand once, let alone on all my nails.

Once you know what you are doing you can do several different layers if you wish and make some amazing creations, ones i’ve seen recently that I absolutely loved was on Emily’s site, emilysnailfiles.blogspot.co.uk where she created beautiful nails decorated with roses (is there anything better in life then roses on your nails?). She was kind enough to let me post a picture here to show you want can be achieved.

How much would you LOVE to have these?

These gorgeous images were created using bundlemonster plates, rather than Konad, but they are basically the same thing. If you want to see the full tutorial you can see it on Emily’s site here.

You can buy the plates and the polish from amazon and eBay (but be careful that they are reputable sellers) and there are loads and loads. I currently have four plates but am desperate for the monster bundle with 21 plates currently only £14.99, bargain huh? I would recommend this set to someone starting out maybe because you get loads of choice at a great value. The four plates I have at the moment, if anyone if interested, are Konad and can be seen below:

These are plates M19, M25, M45, M62.

If you use this process I would love it you could send me some pictures so I can see what you’ve all managed to do! Bye for now x

YouTube April Haul Video

Posted on April 22, 2012 by Briar Rose Beauty

Hello Beauties!

I have just uploaded a video showing some of the things I have been spending my pennies on recently. If you would like to watch it click below, hope you all enjoy X

The Items mentioned are:

Spotty Dress from Phase Eight
Mink Jacket from Topshop
Bow Sandals in Cream/Black from Ted Baker
Rose Bracelet from Superdrug
Candlelight Illuminating Powder by Laura Mercier
OPI Nice Stems Mini Collection
Laguna Bronzer by NARS
Lip Butters by Revlon

If you want to look at the products themselves there are links in the description box below the video

Let me know what you’ve been spending your monies on too in the comments please! x

*Please note that I bought these myself or was given them as a present from family members, none were sent for my consideration, I am not affiliated to any of these.*

Essie coming to Boots and Superdrug!

Posted on April 19, 2012 by Briar Rose Beauty

Since the massively famous and universally adored nail polish giant Essie was launched in the early 80s they have become a must have brand for everyone who has ever had a manicure. With nearly 300 colours in their range at the moment you are bound to find not one or two but probably a good dozen colours that you can’t live without. Essie has now finally listened to the many many pleas, wails and sounds of begging of all the UK girlies who have wanted to get their hands on these polishes quickly and easily.

Drumroll please…. Essie now have an at-home collection which is going to be available at Boots and Superdrug from next month!

Be prepared to spend hours happily browsing the range ladies and maybe give your purse to your husband/boyfriend to stop you bankrupting yourselves!

Giles’ make up range for New Look is coming

Posted on April 18, 2012 by Briar Rose Beauty

Back in November British designer Giles Deacon created a nail polish range, named Gold by Giles to accompany his already highly successful clothing collections, which were first launched in 2007, for the High Street store New Look.

Now this week, he is launching a full makeup range to go with it. This range includes eye shadows, eye brow pencils, blushers and lip colours, brushes, applicators and accessories (such as hair rollers and eye curlers) as well as a larger nail polish range.

Bloggers are particularly excited by the jewel-toned metallic liquid linger, the ombre blush compacts and the patterned nail wraps.

Giles chose New Look “as the high street store to collaborate with, as we both have a sense of fun and believe in fashion and now beauty for everyone.”

This will be available from April 21 instores and online and prices start at just £1.99, bargain!

Jo Malone’s New Home Fragrances

Posted on April 16, 2012 by Briar Rose Beauty

Jo Malone is famous for they’re scents, whether that be perfume, body potions or candles. Now they have added a whole new collection to their scent range and you can make your home smell of your favourite Jo Malone fragrances too!

They’re new range consists of Room Sprays, Linen Sprays, Diffusers and limited edition Scent Sachets and Drawer Liners. In short, everything you could possible need to create the perfect scent for your house. Jo Malone says: ‘The ambience of your home should be as inviting as the fragrance on your skin.

The Room Sprays come in three fragrances; Lime Basil & Mandarin, Red Roses and my personal all time favourite one, Pomegranate Noir. These come in 175ml bottles and cost £34 each.

The Scent Surround Diffusers come in the same three fragrances; Lime Basil & Mandarin, Red Roses and Pomegranate Noir. These come in 165ml and cost £45 each.

The Linen Sprays can be sprayed on napkins, table cloths, towels, pillows and bed linen. These come in two different fragrances, Acqua di Limone (lime) and Lino nel Vento (lavender). These come in 100ml bottles and are £30 each.

The Scent Sachets cost £20 and the Drawer Liners cost £30 both come in Lime Basil & Mandarin.

No doubt these are expensive, but no more so than Jo Malone’s other products. The idea of being able to make my whole house smell like my favourite fragrances is a heady one indeed, and though I don’t think I can justify the price for myself these could make great presents for family and friends (hint hint loving family members)! These are all available now directly from the Jo Malone website.

Madonna’s new perfume launch – Truth or Dare

Posted on April 16, 2012 by Briar Rose Beauty

Madonna has just launched her first fragrance, Truth or Dare, in New York. This was named after her 1991 documentary also know as ’In Bed With Madonna.’

This perfume is housed in a classic white bottle with a gold M and cross embossed on it. It is a very classic looking perfume, much more simple then I would have expected from Madonna. Very pretty but a touch boring in my opinion.

Madonna, speaking to WWD, had this to say of the perfume, “I have always been obsessed by fragrance and for years wanted to create something personal that was an expression of me, but that other people could relate to as well. Something classical and timeless and yet modern. My oldest memory of my mother is her perfume. I carry it with me everywhere. She always smelled like gardenias and tuberose, an intoxicating mixture [that was] feminine and mysterious. I wanted to re-create this scent, but with something fresh and new about it as well. Something honest and yet daring — hence the name Truth or Dare”

Madonna worked with Stephen Nilsen, the Givaudan perfumer create this fragrance. The scent is both a light and dark, opening with notes of gardenia, creamy tuberose and neroli. The heart consists of jasmine, benzoin and white lily, based on vanilla absolute, caramelised amber and sensual musk.

The advert for it can be seen below.

I am looking forward to sampling fragrance, much more than any other celebrity’s perfume, partly because I am curious about what Madonna has create and partly because it is simply Madonna’s. There is also a matching shower gel and body lotion to go with it. This is available from today, April 16th, exclusively at Selfridges, and the perfume price starts at £25 for 30ml.

New Max Factor False Lash Effect 24h

Posted on April 12, 2012 by Briar Rose Beauty

I have always been a fan of the Max Factor False Lash Effect range since the first one. As far as drugstore/highstreet mascaras go these will be the ones I pick up time and time again. Over the years others have tempted me away but none have managed to keep me longer than that initial purchase, as I have never found one I have liked as much. I tend to switch between the normal black false lash effect (the non waterproof one) and the purple False Lash Effect Fusion. Of the two if I was forced to choose a favourite it would be the Fushion; not because I think there is a major difference, but because it promises even more extreme lash length and I am kinda a sucker for anything that promises me that.

When I received info that Max Factor was bringing out a new sibling to this range I knew that I would have to try it, no matter what it was simply to see if they had managed to improve on what I believe is the best out there. I managed to get hold of this mascara last week and have since used it everyday so I could review for you guys (selfless aren’t I?).

When I read the blurb about this one I have to say I wasn’t massively impressed, because, to be honest… who really wants their mascara to last 24 hours? The earliest I ever ever manage to get mascara on my lashes is about 8 in the morning, and the latest I tend to go to bed is 11 (I know, i’m boring blame my two briarrosebeauties) so at the very most I need my mascara to last is 14 hours. And I don’t know about you all out there, but I like my mascara to come off fairly easily at bedtime, i’m normally so exhausted that I don’t have the patience to stand there for ages scrubbing and scrubbing. I also don’t think its very good for the sensitive skin around the eyes to have to work that hard to remove the eye makeup. It also doesn’t say anything about bigger, thicker lashes compared to the other False Lash Effects, which is what I was hoping for. Sad Times indeed. So, the upshot of all of this was that I was going into trying this product somewhat reluctantly.

Max Factor False Lash Effect 24h claims:

Now girls can get unstoppable lashes; bold and beautifully separated lashes that are smudge resistant and water resistant for up to 24 hours. The science behind 24 from False Lash Effect is its built-in primer that effectively wraps each lash from root to tip, binding the mascara to the lashes. The formula is teamed with the bold big brush from False Lash Effect, enabling a larger area of contact with the lashes so the formula glides on, to give lashes bold volume that stays for up to 24 hours.

The wand is the same as the others from the range, with a large brush head and lots of bristles, and the packaging is the same as the original, but the writing and the info band are in metallic pink (the info band is also thicker).

My first day with this mascara I put it on at seven in the morning in a bid to get my day’s worth out of it.

This applied really nicely, as you can see it doesn’t clump at all and leaves the lashes looking really full and long. I put on two coats and was happy with the result. This did indeed last all day, but as I feared when it came to removing it I struggled somewhat. I used a makeup wipe and then some MAC make up remover on a cotton pad and still I woke up in the morning with panda eyes. This is a big downside for me, and means that this isn’t the mascara I would reach for on a day to day basis.

However, when I say it’s stays on during the day I mean it really stays on. I have just finished reading the last Harry Potter book, The Deathly Hallows, and as always I end up crying at the last three chapters (pathetic I know) and after much snivelling and wiping of my eyes this mascara was still perfectly intact. I was amazed, I expected black streaks everywhere!

This retails at £11.99, a pound more expensive than the normal black false lash effect and I have to say I certainly wouldn’t choose this over the normal one, but if you are need of a decent waterproof mascara, the wedding season is coming up afterall, then I would recommend this one for that. I would invest in an oil based makeup remover to help you get rid of it afterwards though!

Paul & Joe Summer 2012 Makeup Collection

Posted on April 11, 2012 by Briar Rose Beauty

Info about Paul & Joe’s Summer Beauty Collection has just been released, and, as you would expect it all looks absolutely lovely.

What I love about Paul & Joe is that their products are unashamedly girlie. They are simply very pretty, high quality products that I absolutely love collection after collection. I was pretty sure they wouldn’t be able to top their Spring 2012 Cat Collection, and yet the images for their summer cosmetics have me swooning just as much if not more.

In a world where women are expected to be strong, powerful beings I think there is a bit of a stigma around being ‘girlie’; people see it as almost a weakness to like pretty things. I for one took a long time to accept my love for all things pretty, thinking that people might think the less of me for it… Well I am here, with a little help from Paul & Joe, to tell you that there is NOTHING wrong with wanting to be a bit girly… Your mates all drink beer while you prefer a nice dry white? Good for you! You prefer to prance around in flowery dresses while your friends are never seen out of their jeans? Embrace it!

Right, now we are all feel empowered let’s move on to looking at the actual collection shall we? ;)

This collection is based upon Shakespeare’s A Midsummer Night’s Dream (my inner latent English Student rejoices), this means that the collection includes fairies, magic and woodland creatures, not just in the product and in the packaging but in the names too! I am utterly in love and want the whole lot!

Shimmering Press Powder £22.

Eye colours

#001 Under the Stars -anaurora white with creamy stardust effect
#002 Love-in-idleness – pale pink
#003 Moon Beam – glowing golden white

Face Colours £15

#001 Nymph – a pop of pinkto add a bold burst of color
#002 Nubile – soft flirtypeach
#003 Faune – deep rose

Lip Glosses

#001 Love Potion – the perfect pink with a light strawberry & vanilla flavour
#002 Fairie Kisses – bright yellow with a light green apple & vanilla flavour which appears translucent on the lips.
#003 Dream a Little Dream – orange sherbet tint with a creamy cool orange & vanilla flavour

Nail Enamels £10.50

#028 Fairie Queen – specs of glittering pale pinks, purples and blues
#029 Sprite – a watery, whimsical shade of pastel green dotted with pearls of pink
#030 Pixie – silver sparkles

Shimmering Body Lotion £22

The whole collection looks so gorgeous and with names such as Fairie Kisses, Moon Beam and Nymph I just know that it be snapped up by those romantics out there just like me!

This collection is available from ASOS on the 1st May and then from the 1st June at Harrods and Fenwick.