Stepping Out in Style

Havaianas & Mavala team-up to launch the summer ‘Beauty Bar’ at John Lewis, Oxford Street

To celebrate the beginning of Summer we’ve teamed-up with world renowned flip flop brand Havaianas to launch the Havaianas Beauty Bar in John Lewis, Oxford Street!

Head on over to the second floor from Saturday 19^th May 2012 and receive a complementary shape and polish pedicure when you purchase a pair of the Havaianas Slim, available in a splendid array of eighteen colours. Choose from a selection of matching or clashing Mavala shades; either way you’ll be stepping out fully prepped for the Summer months ahead.

Beauty Bar exclusively from 19th May-5th June 2012.

Call John Lewis on 08456 049 049 to book your slot.

(Whist stocks last and subject to appointment availability)

Blogger Spotlight: Lady of the Lane

“Hi, I'm Charlie and I'm a Mum of two who is mostly a stay at home Mum. I started Lady of the Lane as a way to write about things I love but mostly to keep my brain active as sometimes when you spend all day every day with small people it can feel like you forget how to be an independent adult! It helped me to keep mentally active, but also renewed my love of all things beauty and helped me take more care of myself and remember that just because I was a Mum of two small children I didn't need to stop making an effort to look nice, in fact it felt more important than ever to take the time to feel good!

Lady of the Lane started life as an entirely different kind of blog altogether! One of my favourite hobbies has always been reading the Daily Mail online and getting into arguments in the comments and ranting about the ridiculousness of the stories they publish... apparently I'm quite amusing when I start ranting about it and several people recommended I should write it all down... so that's where I started...but the magpie in me was drawn to the pretty things and the shallow side of me won out and my witty rants about your average Daily Mail reader gradually disappeared so I could fawn over the latest must have nail polish/lipstick/foundation etc and for the last two and a half years that's what Lady of the Lane has been, a beauty blog. 

My favourite thing about beauty, in particular cosmetics, is the way that you can change the way you feel about yourself. It's kind of a life-is-a-self-fulfilling-prophecy type of thing... I wake up feeling exhausted and grumpy, I put my cheeriest make up on and look in the mirror and I instantly feel better. The same applies to most beauty things though... the ability to just make you feel good, maybe a beautiful bath oil at the end of the day, or a spritz of your favourite perfume, a wonderful facial oil before bed, or a slick of your favourite lipstick, all have the ability to give you a lift.

I can't take any credit for my skincare, the vast majority of things I have learned have come from Caroline Hirons of Beauty Mouth, for me though the best thing I've learned is to double cleanse at the end of the day. I cleanse once to remove my make up and grime, and even if my skin looks clean, I'll clean once more to make sure. You'd be surprised how much cleaner you can get!

My favourite beauty ritual has to be getting ready for bed. There's something relaxing about sitting down and massaging in the Clarins facial oils I use religiously. I can't skip that step, ever. It's part of my wind down routine! 

I spend about twenty minutes to half an hour getting ready in the morning. I realise this is a luxury not afforded to many Mums who have the school/nursery run to deal with but I have a lovely husband who is happy to get the kids downstairs and dressed and fed while I beautify myself. I cleanse, and moisturise, and almost without fail wear full make up, if I'm running out of time I'll skip eyeshadow and just go for liner, but otherwise, it's the full works, foundation, powder, concealer, blusher, mascara, brows, lipstick... finish with doing my hair and a spritz of perfume and I'm done!

The biggest beauty no-no for me has got to be wearing the wrong shade of foundation... happens to me too often but I hear tell that these days the youngsters are purposely wearing many many shades too dark even if they know it leaves a visible tide mark! Just NO!”

Lady of the Lane

Rule Britannia

With two major British events just around the corner we've introduced these two Limited Edition Nail Kits to help you celebrate this time of Anglophilia with style.

Opt for the Olympics Trio and get your creative juices going with some Brit inspired nail art or pay homage with the Jubilee Trio Kit, featuring an edit of our best selling Diamond Collection.

Find your nearest stockist

Blogger Spotlight: Girl in the Lens

Tell us a bit about yourself and Girl in the Lens.

“Hi! I'm Natasha. I started Girl in the Lens last year after joining a social media agency after I graduated. Having a blog is a bit of a must for any social media professional, so I set mine up within a few months of joining, and not only have I learnt lots about social marketing through blogging, it's also become a huge part of my life. I'd describe Girl in the Lens as a fashion and beauty blog with a focus on beautiful photography and high street style with designer influences.”

What's your favourite thing to write about and why?

“On the blog, I tend not to write too much as I think when it comes to fashion and beauty, pictures are definitely the main focus! But the posts I love best are actually ones featuring my favourite bloggers. It's great to share my influences with my readers and point them in the direction of other bloggers I think they'll like.”

What is your approach to beauty - favourite look and your personal routine?

“When it comes to beauty, I'm all about simplicity, especially in terms of make up. I'm half Chinese, and so my small eyes don't take too much make up well! But I love playing around with lip colours and my hair and nails. I've had the same beauty routine for years - every morning and evening I cleanse and moisturise, and then if I'm going out I'll do my make up and hair. My beauty icon at the moment is Miranda Kerr - she looks so natural and effortless, but she's great at accentuating her eyes or lips.”

What are your staple beauty buys?

“Clinique products for cleansing and moisturising, Benefit blushers - they're great, last ages and look cute on your shelf, Miss Sporty Fabulous Lash mascara (I kid you not, I remember reading somewhere that a Vogue Editor said she swears by it, and have used it ever since - can't believe it's under £4!) and L'Occitane products for the body.”

What is style to you and how would you describe yours?

“I like to think of style as a reflection of your personality. Trends and designers will influence everyone's style, but it's how people make these their own and play around with them that is to me what style is all about. I'd say my style is casual, colourful and always comfortable, with a little bit of British edginess and preppiness thrown into the mix. It's difficult to describe though, as it's still evolving, and I dress to suit my moods.”

Who do you admire from a style and beauty perspective and why?

“Like I said, Miranda Kerr is a big beauty icon for me, and she's got a fantastic style too. I think the two come hand in hand. I also admire Alexa Chung and Lou Doillon- how could any British blogger not?! And then I love beauty bloggers and vloggers - that's where I learn new beauty tricks.”

From a beauty perspective what is your favourite ritual - applying moisturiser, painting nails etc?

“Painting my nails is great wind-down time for me. I do it while watching one of my favourite tv shows or listening to some relaxing music, and the whole process of taking off my previous polish and applying a new one is very therapeutic.“

Favourite places to shop for fashion and beauty?

“For beauty, nothing beats Selfridges, John Lewis or Boots for offline shopping and Feel Unique for my online buys. In terms of fashion, my favourite high street stores are Topshop, Urban Outfitters, Zara and H&M, and I also love ASOS and big shopping centres like Westfield for variety.”

If you had to wear one beauty product for the next year what would it be?

“I can't get enough of pastel nail polish, and though it might not be as trendy next year, it'll still be a staple for me. Mavala's SS12 collection is pretty much spot on to be honest, and no I'm not just saying that ;)”

Biggest beauty no-no?

“Cakey foundation. To be honest, I'm not a fan of foundation in the first place, but when it's so caked on that you can actually see it sitting there on someone's skin ... that's a huge turn off for me.”

Best piece of beauty or style advice you've heard/been given?

“It sounds weird, but the best bit of beauty 'advice' came from my mum, who never used to let me wear much make up when I was young. It's made me happy in my own skin. My mum also gave me the best fashion advice ever - only wear what you're comfortable in. Otherwise, what's the point?”

Girl in the Lens

Blogger Spotlight; PrettyGreenTea

Tell us a bit about yourself?

“My name is Daisy and my blog is Prettygreentea! I started blogging when I was at university because I studied Business Studies and felt I needed a creative outlet. I have always loved the internet and before blogging I was on Livejournal so the move to Blogger was very natural for me.
 I work in marketing and specialise in social media. My main passion outside of work is photography and film which both go hand in hand with my blog. I can be found walking by the beach at the weekend and sipping tea in the local café. If I am not by the beach then I will be at home on the internet or reading.” 

How would you sum up PrettyGreenTea in five words?

“My life through my camera!” 


Why PrettyGreenTea?

“When I have an idea in my head I don’t waste any time and just focus on getting it done. I decided to start a blog and a few minutes later I was scanning my notebook for names whilst sipping green tea. I decided that PrettyGreenTea sounded good together and my blog was born. It all happened within a matter of minutes and I am still very happy with the name.”

Favourite thing to write about and why? I like to write about many different things because I have so many interests. I would say that I like to write about my interests or that particular day.

What has been your most popular post to date?

“Coffee I drank in 2011”

Would you say you're a bit of a beauty buff?

“I am quite good at knowing the best face, body and hand creams on the market. If you have dry and sensitive skin then I have a list of products which I can pass on!

 However, when it comes to make up I am not sure where to start. I use the basics but would love to learn more which is why I spend a lot of time on Youtube watching the fab beauty vloggers! I think my answer is no, I am not a beauty buff, just a beauty fan who is ready to learn much more.”

Describe your regime?

“Morning: Wash my face
Clarins HydraQuench Rich Cream on my face and neck
 Lancome mascara and eye liner 
Living Nature lipstick. 

Evening:
 I remove my make up with: Queen ultra gentle eye make up remover. 
I apply my Clarins cream and an eye cream

 I paint my nails every other evening.”

Favourite recent beauty find?

“Comvita Nourishing Hand & Nail Cream!”

Where do you go for fashion and beauty buys?

“Beauty buys – www.mypure.co.uk or John Lewis

Fashion – www.asos.com and Topshop”

When you're not blogging you can mostly be found doing what?

“Walking by the beach with a coffee in one hand and my camera in the other.”

Your life mantra?

“Work hard and play hard!”

PrettyGreenTea

Simply Delicious

Introducing our newest mouth-watering shades for Spring/Summer 2012

There's a definitive colour palette dominating Spring/Summer 2012 and it left us feeling a tad hungry for more and inspired our creation of DELICIOUS; a six piece selection of spot-on candied and pastel hues.

We suggest you embrace the  playfulness which this season calls for and give yourself an eye catching rainbow mani.

The iconic 5ml pots of colour are an affordable way to buy into this season's key trends. Unlike traditional nail colour, Mavala's unique formula delivers microscopic air pockets to allow nails to breath and is free from Parabens, Formaldehydes, Toluene, Camphore, Cellophane, animal ingredients and heavy metal.

Check out the rest of our new season inspiration.