*Lift Off to Complexion Perfection!

The day has finally arrived - Hello Flawless Oxygen WOW is now available!

This is the very first liquid foundation from Benefit Cosmetics (it's hard to believe, isn't it!) and promises flawless coverage resulting in luminous and healthy looking skin. I have more in depth details about the foundation in this post, but here is just a quick reminder. Hello Flawless boasts:

• A boosting agent aiding cellular respiration for a 'plumping up' effect
• SPF 25 PA+++ which protects against UVA and UVB
• Vitamins C and E derivatives to protect against signs of aging
• A buildable light to medium coverage
• Oil free formula

You may have seen in this post that I was lucky enough to attend the launch of this new product (and how fabulous it was!) Here, I found my perfect match - 'Believe in me' - so I've been trying it our over the past couple of weeks...

The first step is to moisturise; I use Benefit's Total Moisture Facial Cream because it is absolutely brilliant! Then, for the best possible results, use a primer. Luckily, if you buy Hello Flawless Oxygen WOW, you will receive a sample of Benefit's The Porefessional - consider it a 'beauty bonus'.

Next it's time for the make-up. I am the type of girl who applies foundation using her fingers, but, thanks to Lisa Potter-Dixon, Benefit's Head Make-up and Trend Artist (and Brow Expert), I have learned the advantages of using a foundation brush; it makes application much quicker, gives a more even coverage and doesn't waste as much of the product. Mine is a QVS brush from Superdrug and cost £4.99 but it does the trick.

The foundation has a very thin consistency compared to other brands, but to be honest I expected this due to the fact Benefit call this a light coverage foundation. The image below shows just how 'runny' it is!

But the advantage to this is that it makes the product very easy to match to your skintone and to build up to your desired level of coverage. Personally, I like make-up that is light and 'airy' so this consistency is perfect for me!

I found that this make-up is very long-lasting too; when I'm at work and sat at my desk, I have a tendency to rest my head on my hands, but by the end of the day I still had foundation in place and didn't look too 'patchy'!

I have been very excited about this product and I have not been let down; over the past couple of years, I have tried several new foundations, but I can honestly see myself sticking to this. Hello Flawless retails at £24.50 and I really do believe it is worth the investment!

One for the Gleeks: Artie

Poor Artie! First Tina leaves him for Mike, then things don't quite got to plan with Brittany S. Piers and now Sugar has chosen Rory before he 'goes home to Ireland'... (Hmm!) But you've got to love him!

Image sourced from here.

Artie has had some great quotes in the past - I think my favourites have a bit of a hip-hop vibe to them - and so for this week's episode of Glee, he is my chosen 'One for the Gleeks' character!

Artie: We plan on smacking them down like the hand of God.

Artie: I told my parents I only want one thing for Christmas this year: stop friending me on Facebook.

  

Artie: (About Sam) I like his confidence. But the Bieber cut's gotta go.

Rachel: We're finally getting married.
Artie: When is the baby due?

Sam: Chicken, egg whites, fish-no salmon, oatmeal, brown rice but not after 6pm, no butter or oil, and no soda...

Image sourced from here.

Finn: That’s all you eat?
Sam: Ain’t no carpool lane to sexy.
Artie: Damn straight.

Jacob: I thought you were a senior.  
Artie: Optical illusion. The chair adds a year.

Will: When I’m sick there’s only one thing that makes me feel good.
Artie: Gin and juice?
 
Will: Rachel have you ever seen a tackle football game? When they tackle, it hurts.
Artie: And not in a good, Mellencamp kind of way.

Artie: When I was one, my mom showed me the VHS tape of his Mowtown Special, and when he did the moonwalk across the stage for the first time in history, I uttered my first words, 'Hot damn'.

Artie: Brittany was the only person we could find on short notice. We bribed her with Dots.

Artie: I sound like someone put tap shoes on a horse and shot it.

And, because this is a brilliant episode and contains the one and only Miss Britney Spears songs, here's a video! 

P.S: Quotes sourced from here  and here, and the video is sourced from here!

Wardrobe Peek: First weekend of Spring!

Spring is here, the sun is shining - this weather just puts me in such a good mood! The first official weekend of the season is a special one for me and @ultimatecoddy as it is our first year anniversary, however, due to a severe lack of funds, we are saving celebrations for next Saturday (roll on payday) but it's all good as we were able to have an easy couple of days making the most of the glorious weather.

 And because it was so sunny outside, I felt it was time to bring out my new bright blue jeans!

Blue Jeans: New Look, Mint Vest Top: Primark, White Top: Primark, Hoody: Matalan, Shoes: New Look

I have worn these once before (for Zumba in the Club!) but this was my first time wearing them for everyday. On Saturday, I teamed them with my mint vest top and a baggy white top along with a grey zip-up hoody for a more sporty look (a la Princess Kate!) My shoes are simple cream flat pumps which are good couple of years old now... but are still in pretty good shape!

Image sourced from here!

Sunday was a bit more eventful - Brandy, Daniel's lovely Golden Retriever, came to visit! One reason why I've been looking forward to the warmer weather so much is because we can once again go on our epic walks. We took her for a walk around the park and of course, took some images while we were there (blog post coming soon, *ahem*).

Grey Top: Primark, Mint Vest Top: Primark, Blue Jeans: New Look, Shoes: New Look

And the blue jeans made an appearance again; the colour is just so fresh and screams 'Spring!' - I think they might just be the boldest item of clothing I own! This time I wore them with a thin grey jumper (which I forgot I had) - just nice and simple for an easy Sunday.

Welcome to.... thelcissue.co.uk!!!

Hello everybody! I have been a little quiet on the blogging and tweeting front this weekend because I have been working on something very special.... The LC Issue now has its own domain name!

This is so exciting for me; it is something that has been in the pipeline for the past few weeks and something I have always thought about doing for a while, but to be honest, I didn't know where to start! But, thanks to @ultimatecoddy's guidance, this has now happened - and it couldn't be at a better time! I put so much hard work and effort into my blog and I couldn't be happier or prouder of it; having it's own web address is just another step in making it even bigger and better! My blogspot address does not exist anymore, but if you go onto it then it will redirect you straight to thelcissue.co.uk.

So along with this, there are some other changes which you may have noticed. First is the header; gone is the blocky font and welcomed is this modern-take on an art deco inspired font (which I looove!) I've said goodbye to the illustrated lady and purple flowers - I think this new logo is a lot cleaner and makes the page look much less busy. I have also changed the fonts of the headers and body text for this reason, and to update the page even further, I have introduced a cute, new handwritten font.

Next up is the new pages bar across the top of the page; now it's easier to find the posts you want to read! For instance, simply click on:

• Glamorous Life for fashion, beauty and health
• Entertaining Life for entertainment and events
• Home Life for interiors, food, drink and other homely matters
• Media Life for all things media, social media and career related
• LC's Diary for my personal, diary posts
• Extras for a bit of randomness!

I have had a bit of a clean up too on the sidebar and have added new links to my Twitter, Pinterest, Linkedin, Google+ and Bloglovin' pages, just in case any of you would like to follow them... *wink!*

I spent HOURS on Saturday night, and a bit of time over the past couple of weeks, playing about with this, and there are still a couple of little changes I need to make but I am officially marking this as the relaunch of The LC Issue... excited!!!

Firstly, I need to say a massive thank you to Dan the Man for helping me with this (and for having patience with me!) and another massive thank you to all my lovely readers and followers who take the time to have a read of my blog - I could not appreciate it more!

I hope you all like the new look of The LC Issue!

One for the Gleeks: Emma

One for the Gleeks is back... FINALLY! I know the series started a couple of weeks ago but I've just been so busy lately, I hadn't got round to bringing back these posts - and oh, how I've missed them! So to start us off, I've chosen one of the blushing brides from the series, the soon-to-be (and ridiculously lucky) Mrs Schuester - aka Emma Pillsbury!

Image sourced from here.

Emma: [hears Rachel throwing up] Rachel, did you just throw up?
Rachel: No.
Emma: You missed the toilet.
Rachel: The girl who was throwing up before me left that. I tried, but I guess I just don't have a gag reflex.
Emma: One day when you're older, that'll turn out to be a gift. Let's have a little chat, okay!
 

Emma: Oh my God Sue, did somebody finally punch you?
  
Emma: Right, and it makes sense. Look at their [the girls in Glee Club] role models. You’ve got Britney Spears with her shaved head and Lindsay Lohan looking like something out of ‘Lord of the Rings’ … Ann Coulter.

Image sourced from here.

Emma: I admit, in the past, I may have had some control issues, but Carl's been helping me with that.
Will: Oh, really? How?
Emma: Well, like the other day at the market, he made me buy the green grapes AND the red grapes. Then we put them together in the same bowl and just ate them. It was madness! Sheer madness!

Emma: Wow Will, that's a lot of vests.

Emma: Celibacy is a viable option... for those who are older and are terrified of the hose monster.

Emma: Can you go now? I think I need to close the door and cry.

Will: But the wedding is on Saturday. Your wedding.
Emma: I know. We just pushed it back a few hours. Now it doesn't have to happen in broad daylight.

Emma: Ken has a lot of flaws. He has 74 flaws as of yesterday.

P.S: You can view all of my previous 'One for the Gleeks' posts here!

P.P.S: All of these quotes, and all previous quotes, were sourced from here and here - click the links to see even more!

Afternoon Tease: A Vintage & Retro Fayre

There is something about vintage that just grabs people, me included. Admittedly, I don't know much about it; where to find good quality clothing, hair techniques, little DIY for the home tricks, but it is something I have been very interested in learning more about. So, I was incredibly excited to see that a vintage and retro fayre was being held in Cleethorpes!

'Afternoon Tease' was the first of its kind from the Cat's Pyjamas Burlesque Cooperative, which was established six years ago by a lovely lady who I met on Saturday, Snappy O'Shea. After overcoming initial 'growing pains', it is now the leading burlesque show in the area and regularly attracts visitors from all around. It was held at the Pier, a legendary landmark which is now a newly refurbished restaurant and nightclub (for those of you who do not know Cleethorpes!)

Unfortunately, I was still very poorly on Saturday and so I could only stay for a short while, however I would have LOVED to have stayed and had a more in-depth look around! Also, I made a rookie mistake and let my camera battery die (whoops!), but thank god for the iphone and Instagram!

One of the most appealing parts of vintage, for me, is the clothing an luckily there were plenty of stalls around that had lots of special pieces. As I said above, I do not know much about vintage shopping or what to look for in pieces, so I really did not know where to begin? However, part of me thinks that it is just the same as shopping in the modern day - you buy what you like.

To make it even easier for shoppers, there was a fashion show - I particularly like the playsuit in the picture below!

The Fletcher and Fenn fashion parade.

From the Fletcher and Fenn stall.

Lots of clothing rails and garments in vintage suitcases!

And what was great about this fayre was that some of the visitors even arrived dressed for the occasion themselves! I particularly liked looking at their hairstyles and make-up; in the past I have tried my own victory curls but it didn't quite go to plan... I do like a bit of red lipstick though!

I am a big fan of vintage in the home too - trust me, if I had a bit of disposable income, this is where my money would probably end up going! I am lucky to live in a home from the Victorian era so I think home accessories inspired by this time would be perfect! While I was there, I saw this teapot, teacup and cake stand set - perfect for vintage inspired summer weddings!

There were lots of extra little surprises taking place throughout the afternoon which, unfortunately, I missed. Visitors were treated to a jazz performance, more fashion shows and even burlesque performances (child friendly, of course!) And the event wouldn't be complete without a vintage tea party!

As you can see from the picture above, the fayre was packed! Around 600 people attended the event throughout the afternoon; I think it just shows the appeal that vintage has. Like Snappy said, there's something about the time - people being polite, dressing nicely, nostalgia - that just draws people in, and now I really can't wait for the next fayre so I can really get stuck in!


P.S: To find out more about the Cat's Pyjamas Burlesque Cooperative and upcoming events, visit their facebook page here!

My Pinteresting Week (4)

Definitely want to try those sickly-looking Twix Brownies!

'Set Fire to the Rain' is my favourite Adele song, but the picture is so true!

The Justin Timberlake/*NSYNC pin tickles me! Has to be a fave!

Adorbs!

Absolutely love this dress! I need it... sooner rather than later...

I'm considering this hairstyle!

Introducing new TLCI pinboards! For pics from my blog.

As always, feel free to follow my pins - you will find all of the sources for these pics here too!

Happy Mothers Day!

Here's me and my mother at my Graduation Day in October 2010.

Hope you're all spoiling your mothers or being spoiled yourself!

Wardrobe Peek: Benefit's 'Hello Flawless' Launch

This is the only image I have of my outfit which I wore to the Hello Flawless blogger event on Tuesday, as I went and stayed in London completely by myself! (Quite a big deal for little old me!) And so I settled for an old school 'myspace' style picture in my hotel room.

Blazer: New Look £19.99
Top: Lipsy £38.00
Skirt: New Look £7.99
Tights: BHS
Shoes: Internacionale
Jewellery: See Here

*Benefit Cosmetics: Hello Flawless Oxygen WOW!

I love Benefit - I think it is safe to say that I have confessed this before - so you can imagine my absolute delight when I was asked to attend the launch of the brand's new (and very first) liquid foundation, Hello Flawless!

This is the missing product in the Benefit Cosmetics range, and it certainly is long awaited. In the past, I have used their 'PlayStick' foundation in 'Paper Dolls' and, as brilliant as it was - it covered really well, defined my face and made my skin look smooth - it was incredibly thick and unfortunately became too much for me, and so we eventually parted ways... But when I found out about Hello Flawless, I couldn't wait to give it a try!

I travelled down to London on Tuesday for the event, which was held in the Private Dining Room of Rhodes Twenty Four, and what an incredible building it is! The theme of the night was 'Lift Off to Complexion Perfection', and it certainly felt like that is what happened. We were high up on the 24th floor which had ceiling-to-floor windows the whole length of the room; I felt like we  were part of London nighttime skyline.

Mini cakes - both cute and delicious!

After meeting and having a quick chat with other lovely fashion and beauty bloggers, we were given a presentation as to what makes Hello Flawless so special. Firstly, and what I think is most important, it is SPF 25 PA+++ (I'll be completely honest, I didn't realise this existed!) This means that this foundation helps protect against UVA and UVB, and the three stars - or 'plusses' - means that it reaches the highest level of protection; something I'll definitely need once the summer months come! It also contains Vitamins C and E derivatives which prevents signs of aging - something that women of all ages should think about, not just the over 40s as many believe!

The make-up is oil-free and helps towards a 'plumped-up effect' through its cellular respiration boosts, leaving your skin looking healthy. It gives a light to medium coverage, and this is something I have grown to value. In my opinion, Benefit make-up can be quite heavy, so I was certainly intrigued to see what this new venture would be like.

Lisa Potter-Dixon, Head Make-Up and Trend Artist (and Brow Expert), gave us a quick demonstration as to how to achieve the 'flawless' look. Firstly, as every girl knows, moisturise! Secondly, use a primer to even out the skin; we were shown The Porefessional. I do have some problems with my pores and have never tried using primers so I was very excited to see that we would get to have a little try of this. I put a little bit on the back of my hand and I could instantly tell how this product would make your skin smooth. A 22ml tube retails for £23.50 but I definitely think it will be worth the investment. But if you'd like to give it a try first, then a small sample is included with Hello Flawless as a Beauty Bonus!

Prep and Prime!

Hello Flawless is available in nine shades; three light, three medium and three deep. To find your shade, Lisa said to test a small patch on the side of your chin (as shown below).

Finally it was time to apply the foundation. Lisa recommends using foundation brushes and I must say, I am convinced that I need this tool in my make-up kit! Hello Flawless seemed to be applied quickly and evenly, leaving skin looking dewy and refreshed.

So, then it was our turn to find out match! I found mine in the form of "Believe in Me", and ivory shade which is the palest of the selection. But one of the great features about this foundation is that it is buildable, so you can make it as heavy or light as you need or wish, so I was very happy with my shade. Initially I pumped, what I thought was a small amount on the back of my hand and rubbed it in - only to find I had pumped too much! Proving that, just like many other Benefit products, you only need a small amount, meaning the product will last you a long, long time - quality for true value for money.

Nine shades: 'Believe in Me', 'I'm Pure for Sure' (Ivory), 'Cheers to Me' (Champagne), I'm so Money' (Honey),
'I'm all the Rage' (Beige), 'Warm Me Up' (Toasted Beige), 'I'm so Glamber' (Amber), 'I'm Hopelessly Hot' (Hazelnut)
and 'Gotta Know Me' (Nutmeg).

This dollop of 'Believe in Me' covered the whole back of my hand!

I have yet to try Hello Flawless properly (I currently have an awful cold and don't want to waste a single drop on tissues!) but I have extremely high hopes for this. Oxygen WOW has been released as a sister product to the top-selling 'Hello Flawless' powder cover-up, and from what I have seen so far, I definitely think this will be another 'must-have' Benefit product! I am very excited about this; finding the right foundation is one of the most important parts of your make-up routine, and I think I may have found my perfect foundation match!

P.S: Hello Flawless Oxygen WOW will be available from 31st March for £24.50 (30ml), and the girls from Benefit are currently touring the country to give personalised make-up lessons; you can see more information here. To see more images from the event, visit the Benefit Cosmetics UK Facebook page here.

My Pinteresting Week (3)

I've been a bit quiet on here again lately - well, it's been three days but it feels like so much longer! Times have been manic since Thursday but for absolutely brilliant reasons, so brilliant that I can't actually believe it myself! But I'll be posting more about that this week...

So for now, here's what I've been pinning over the past seven days.

Art Deco pinboard

Part of The Wishlist...

Where I will be on Tuesday and Wednesday!

Accessories

Love everything about this!

 And don't forget... follow me on Pinterest!