Inside: Travel Make Up Bag

When I'm out and about, like most girls, I like to have the daily face essentials on hand, ready to combat any oily sheen or lipstick malfunction.  I try not to carry around too much with me, just the bare necessities.  Powder is always the first thing to be thrown into the pouch and right now I'm between two powders, MAC's MSF Natural in Light and Rimmel's Stay Matte in Translucent.  This is to help keep my make up in place for longer, without threat of slipping as the day wears on.  I've been using the Real Techniques Contour Brush for powder, as I like to apply it where it's needed, rather than slather it on all over the place.  The next thing to make the cut is concealer and of course it's Collection Lasting Perfection - I think I'm on my fifth or sixth tube of the stuff but it really is as good as they say.  As it's quite a heavy coverage its great for on the go foundation touch ups as well as concealing.  I bring along the Real Techniques Expert Face Brush for this job, it's great at creating a seamless finish no matter the heavy duty product.  

I also carry a rather grubby looking Scandaleyes Waterproof Kohl Kajal in Nude, for times when my peepers need to look more awake.  The gel like formula means that this liner hardly budges but sometimes it's nice to have it with you, for touch up peace of mind.  My mascara of the day also comes along for the ride, as I find that sometimes it can end up under the eyes leaving you looking like a panda - never a good look no matter how cute they are.  I try to keep both a nude and a bright lipstick on me at all times so that I have options for whatever occasion might pop up during the day.  When I'm in a rush however, only the lipstick I'm wearing will get slung into the mix.  With the warmer weather finally arriving, I've been reaching for the Jemma Kidd Hi-Shine Hydrating Gloss Stick in Hibiscus, which as the name suggests is moisturising, glossy and pigmented as hell.  The perfect coral lipstick? I think so.  Other necessities that make the cut are a compact mirror - for on the go touch ups, lip balm as well as a hair tie and bobby pin, because you never know in this country whether rain will frazzle your 'do' or not.  

What are your travel essentials?

Jemma Kidd Hi-Shine Hydrating Glosstick in #04 Hibiscus

Jemma Kidd is a brand I've heard so much about and always wanted to try, but unfortunately where I live, we severely lack in JK concessions. You can then imagine my joy when I was allowed to rummage through More! magazine's beauty cupboard. It was full of every brand you could possibly imagine including the Jemma Kidd Hi-Shine Hydrating Glosstick in #04 Hibiscus.  When I first looked at it, I thought it was quite a daring shade and one that would wash me out but it remained at the front of my mind when rummaging and before I knew it, it was on my lips.  

All I can say is wow. For starters, the packaging is a sleek matte black case with a floral shiny pattern on top.  You click the bottom of the case and out pops the Glosstick. It smells incredible, after conferring with my Mum we quickly decided it smelt like marshmallows.  What really stands out about this product is, well the product itself.  I was expecting a sticky consistency with the name having 'gloss' in it but it's far from it.  It's a very creamy feeling formula, think MAC's cremesheen and it glides onto the lips leaving behind a highly pigmented coral colour.  The smell transfers to taste and although it's not the be all and end all of a product, it's an added extra. At £13.00 a pop on Feelunique.com they are slightly more expensive than a highstreet lipstick but are definitely worth the extra pennies.  

I've been wearing this product in two different ways.  For an added pop of colour, I go all out with a vibrant coral lip but for something more muted I lightly pat the colour onto my lip for a slightly more subtle look.  

Which Jemma Kidd products do you love?

My More! Magazine Experience

As most of you will know, I've recently completed a two week placement with my favourite weekly, More! magazine.  While I am sworn to secrecy when it comes to upcoming features and photoshoots, I thought I'd share my experience and the kind of things I got up to.  The most prominent lesson I learnt was that timing is everything - you've got to be in the right place at the right time.  

The first day was nerve-racking - although I was more nervous about the commute rather than actually walking into the More! magazine office. More! magazine is part of Bauer Media and is based along Shaftesbury Avenue in Endeavour House.  I started at 11am alongside two other girls and we joined a further two interns who'd been there for a week already, in the fashion workies corner.  We were told that our only job really was to return clothing to PR companies, something I expected.  The first couple of days were slow as the fashion cupboards were empty, awaiting call in's from PR's for the next shoots.  We sifted through the 'unknown' boxes, looking out for any jewellery we recognised so that we could send it back to the appropriate places. We also got to shortlist some bloggers we liked for the website, which was fun - It meant I got to catch up on some of my favourite blogs whilst at work.  

On the second day, myself and two of the others headed out at lunch to Hummingbird Bakery - a first for me - where we picked up a sweet treat before heading back to the office to devour it.  I chose a Red Velvet cupcake which was delicious.  One of my favourite things to do in London, if I'm not rushing around, is to walk around and see the sights.  We wandered past the Palace Theatre where Singin' in the Rain is currently running.  I thought the umbrella's were a good idea, seeing as we were experiencing a glorious summer of rain, rain and more rain.  

On Thursday, I was sitting with another intern surfing Fashion Monitor for returns addresses when the editors assistant came up and asked us if we'd be able to help out her intern on a little project.  We needed to go out and get some vox pops, asking 20 hot men that week's big question, which turned out to be 'Would you wear bum-enhancing pants?'  Of course, we jumped at the chance and set off for Carnaby Street and the surrounding area, where we weren't short of a few hot guys.  When we got back, we had an hour for lunch before returning to the rest of the fashion workies and telling them all the gossip.  Thursday was definitely a good day, as later on I got asked to write a solution to one of the 'Friendship Fixer' page problems.  As a budding journalist, I was thrilled to be given this opportunity, even if it was only a 70 word piece.  I was given a computer over with some of the other writers of More! and given a deadline - I felt like a professional.  It has yet to be published in the magazine, I think it was next week's issue they were closing, so I will Instagram (@NickiShepShep) as soon as I see it!

Friday came and went far too quickly and just like that, my first week was over.  As usual, Monday came round far too quickly and it was time to get up and go again for another week.  We didn't have much to do as we waited for another new intern to start at 11am.  After a while we were asked to come up with some ideas for the fashion pages, which was fun. Throughout the majority of the week we had various returns and odd jobs to do which kept us busy.  

On Wednesday, one of the beauty team asked if I'd like to help out with something they needed for a new page.  She took me into the beauty cupboard - a beauty bloggers heaven, there were rows upon rows of products ranging from foundation to cleansers to eyeshadows and nail polishes. I had literally died and gone to a glittery heaven.  I picked out this Jemma Kidd Hi-Shine Hydrating Glosstick (review coming tomorrow) and to my surprise I was allowed to keep it!  Whilst I was in the cupboard, I expressed my interest in the beauty team and was offered two weeks work experience there and then (in exchange for my CV).  I'm ecstatic and can't wait to start in January as I've become a lot more interested in writing for a magazines beauty team rather than fashion.  

My last day came round like so quickly and to finish the two weeks off, I was given a horrific task of trying to find three items of unidentified jewellery and get their credits.  I flicked through every single docket I could find and in the end only found one of the items.  It was quite a stressful task as the fashion had a deadline for the shoots and in the end no one could find where the items were from.  After a stressful last day, we were given a goody bag from the beauty cupboard which included MAC, Bourjois, Ciate and more.  

I am so glad I got to work at More! magazine as it really opened my eyes up to how much I wanted to work on a magazine, more so than PR which I dabbled in last year.  I'm definitely going to hunt around for some more experience before I return to More! in January, to get my CV looking good before I graduate next summer (eeek!) I'd really recommend More! magazine's fashion placement as I learnt a hell of a lot.  Plus, seeing your name in the masthead makes all your hard work, worth it.