Comic Relief presents Hangout Comedy Club for Edinburgh Fringe

Hello lovely! Today I'd like to talk about something that combines a few of my absolute favourite things. Technology, comedy and red nose day. 

Comic Relief have joined forces with Google and YouTube so that you will be able to watch some of the comedians live at the Edinburgh Fringe festival from the comfort of your own sofa. Cool, right?

Thanks to Google+ hangout you'll be able to watch Katherine Ryan launch the first show on Thursday August 8th at 8pm. 

How do you get involved? It's pretty simple to be fair, here's a video giving you an overview, courtesy of the Comic Relief YouTube channel followed by step by step instructions, Geek to Chic style.

Here's what you need to do in order to get involved...

1.) Get yourself a Google+ account... Sign up here and download the Google video chat plugin, found here.

2.) Go to http://www.youtube.com/user/rednoseday and click on booking, book yourself a seat for the comedy show you fancy. Choose from:

Katherine Ryan, August 8th at 8pm
Sanderson Jones, August 15th at 10pm
Joey Page, August 19th at 10pm

Fancy being on the front row? Select that option to apply and 9 people will be chosen for the front row of each show. You'll be able to see the comedian and they'll be able to see you, so prepare to get involved! (Be picked on...)

Don't fancy being on the front row? Then just click on ‘Get a seat’, and choose to ‘No I’m happy joining and hanging out with my friends'. Then all you have to do is sign-in with Google+ and add the event to your calendar. You'll get a email reminder to join the Hangout on the night. Simples. 

 3.) You're done. Wait until the night of the comedy show..

4.) It's here, woohoo! Click on the link on your reminder email, or go directly here.

5.) Grab a beer / cocktail / coffee / cheese rack <delete as appropriate>

5.) When you're in the Hangout you can click the invite button at the top left of the window to invite up to 9 of your friends. They will also need to have a Google+ log-in and the Google chat plugin linked above.

6.) Turn your webcam on and if you applied for a front row seat, get ready! If you're on the back row then Google Hangout with your friends and watch their reactions.

And that's it. Easy. It's free to join the Google hangout, the 'Laughometer' will use your webcam to work out how much you've enjoyed the show and will propose a proportionate cash donation to charity. (No obligation, of course)

How? Well it will calibrate your smile at the beginning of the hangout and the Laughometer will be able to read your emotions. Comedy, meets technology geekery, meets charity. Brilliant.

Let me know if you book your seat!

Always Geek, Forever Chic,
Laura.

Headcase Hair Salon in Derby

Hello lovely! Today it's a quick shout out for a hair salon in Derby that I popped in to absolutely last minute the other day called Headcase.

It's that moment when one of your friend turns around to you and says "Lau, would you like me to cut your hair...?" When you think: I really need to go to a salon.

So here I am with the lovely Liam who sorted my split ends ready for a night out on the town - it was lovely to meet you Liam! 
 

If you're local to Derby, or visiting, you can find them in the Eagle Centre. Give them a buzz on 01332 203198 or just pop in and say hello.

It's not just about shouting for brands or products that you love, but it's always worth giving a mention to places every now and again too. Nice one, Headcase. 

Always Geek, Forever Chic,

Laura.

My Current Nail Polish Favourites

Hello lovely! Today I'm going to be letting you know a few of my current favourite nail polishes to wear in this Summer to Autumn transitional period.

First up - the amazing and absolutely always in season, Pirate by Chanel.

It's a gorgeous, wearable, deep red. It leans towards the cooler side of the red spectrum and I just feel like it absolutely goes with everything. I prefer 2 coats of Pirate in order to get a decent level of opacity.

This isn't a vampy red, it's classic and I think it compliments all skin tones. 

If you've never tried a Chanel nail polish before, where have you been? They are a considerable purchase at £18 each, but they last an absolute age. 

Next up on my 'what I'm currently loving' list is Bikini by Dior. 

 
Bikini is a lovely coral / salmon shade and I absolutely adore it. Again totally opaque on the second coat and it has a glossy sheen that makes it a really pretty summer wear. 

Dior nail varnishes have a really lovely tapered brush which makes application really easy. I highly recommend these nail polishes and their colour range is very diverse. Dior nail varnishes will also set you back £18.

And last but not least on my current favourite list... It's Patriculiere by Chanel.

For some reason Chanel like to class this as a grey but as you can see above it has a very brown undertone and is much warmer than a grey. (Silly Chanel...) 

This is much more of an autumn colour and it will definitely help you see in the season without too much misery that the sun is leaving us for another year. 

Another nail polish that needs 2 coats, it looks great on pale skin and lovely on deeper skin tones too. 

What are your current nail polish faves? Let me know your recommendations.

Always Geek, Forever Chic,
Laura.

L'Oreal Paris 3 in 1 Micellar Solution

Hello lovely! Today I'd like to talk about the brand new Micellar Soluton from L'Oreal Paris. 

This is billed as a 3 in 1 purifying micellar solution that does the following:

1. Dissolves make-up

2. Unclogs pores and removes impurities

3. Tones and soothes skin
 
It's hypo allergenic and suitable for sensitive skin. It's designed to be used on the face, eyes and skin. 

Much like the Bioderma H2O, which I love, it is a solution that feels like a water on your skin but acts as a make up remover, toner and general skin soother all in one. 

All you need to do is pop a little on a cotton wool pad and sweep it over your eyes and face in order to remove your make up, any excess oil and impurities.

What's a micellar solution, I hear you ask...

Well, it's a bit of a 'buzz word' in the beauty community at the moment. And being on the geeky side of the beauty world, you know I'd be interested in the technical specs. 

Imagine a molecule cluster with 2 ends, this is a micelle. One end of the cluster loves water (hydrophilic), the other end hates it (hydrophobic) so once a micelle is put into a water solution, the molecule clusters group to form a spherical shape that on the outside loves water and on the inside hates it. 

When this comes in contact with the skin, the micelle spheres split open and when it's pulled away, the sphere closes again. During this process the cluster grabs whatever isn't water from the skin - so it basically lifts up make up, traces of dirt and oil with this little scientific wonder of a process. Cool, right? 

I have to say, scientifically cool or not, I want to shout about this product from the rooftops a little bit because I LOVE it. I've already recommended it to a dozen people and even purchased it for someone because I just know that they need this product in their life. 

The normal price is £4.99 but at the moment in Boots it has an introductory price of £3.33 and I think I'll be stocking up on a few bottles because this is a definite new staple in my daily routine. 

If you're looking for a Bioderma dupe or a new make up remover, I couldn't recommend this enough. And for the price, what have you got to lose? 

Pick one up next time you're in Boots and let me know what you think.

Always Geek, Forever Chic,
Laura.

Max Factor Wild Shadow Pencil

Hello lovely! Today I'd like to talk about the brand new Wild Shadow Pencil from Max Factor. I'm sure you've seen the billboards and magazine posters for this in the last week. 

It goes hand in hand with the Wild Mega Volume Mascara I recently reviewed. 

These are 2-in-1 Gel Shadows and Liners that Max Factor are professing will give you the precision of an eyeliner and high pigmentation to give a fierce, bold look. 

The pencils come in 8 colours and the colour that I have is called Fierce Lime. The other colours below are Savage Silver, Vicious Moss, (Fierce Lime), Untamed Pink, Camel Rage, Bold Sapphire, Brazen Gold and Ice Fury.

I have to say that swatching this pencil, it does have a decent level of pigmentation as you can see from the below photograph. It's also very creamy in texture.

It's not the most wearable shade in the world, however I think when choosing a shadow pencil or liner, you really have to go for what shades best suit your eye colour. 

If you have blue eyes, Bold Sapphire would be nice because a darker shade than your eye colour will make your eyes look really blue. 

If your eyes are green or hazel, try Camel Rage, this will pick out the green and brown flecks in your eyes.

And for brown eyes, the Untamed Pink or Fierce Lime will make your eyes pop.

So here's how the shade I have, Fierce Lime, looks on me...

I've also teamed it with the Wild Mega Volume Mascara which was released by Max Factor at the same time, you can see my review on that here.  
 
This product was ridiculously easy to apply, easy to blend and it is very pigmented. I'd recommend picking up a colour and giving it a go. At £4.99 a pop, you can't go wrong.

If you're feeling bold, then why not pick up one of the more intense shades...

As always, be sure to let me know how you get on!

Always Geek, Forever Chic,
Laura.

Max Factor Wild Mega Volume Mascara

Hello lovely! Today I'd like to talk about the brand new mascara from Max Factor. I'm sure you've seen the billboards and magazine posters for this in the last week.

It's called Wild Mega Volume. (Catchy...)

Max Factor claim to take your lash look to the next level with this new mascara. Apparently it blackens and plumps up the look of every lash because of the amplifier brush.

It has hollow, soft bristle fibres with an hourglass design, a waist of shorter bristles hold the formula; allowing it to be deposited on the lash base instantly. 

It's all a bit of make up engineering blurb isn't it? Let's cut to the chase, does it work?

Well, let's take a look at this wand and see what's different about it... 

You can see from the image below that it does have an hourglass brush which is really quite unique. I also instantly notice that the product doesn't seem to clump anywhere on the brush, it's all very evenly distributed.

The mascara goes on really easily and you'll see from the image below, it does a great job of separating the lashes. You can also see it's a very 'black' black, which I really like.

You only get 11ml of mascara in the tube however, which is slightly less than most mascaras will offer and as such, it's a little shorter than most mascara tubes.

Having said that, at £4.99, it's a bit of a steal and if you get chance to pick this up, I would recommend giving it a try.

A good option to pick up with your Boots Advantage Card points perhaps? 
  
Always Geek, Forever Chic,
Laura.

City Socializer Update

Hello lovely! Today is a quick update for you about www.citysocializer.com...

In case you missed my previous post about Citysocializer then you can read it here.

If you're looking to meet new drinking buddies, girls for a girly night in or just to expand your social circle, Citysocializer provides you with an online library of likeminded people in your local area. People who want to seize the day (carpe diem, if you're really posh...) and it gives you a platform in order to get in touch with those people. 

UPDATED NEWS: Citysocializer have just launched their new smartphone application - brilliant. 

To celebrate their new app, they've released this really cute little video which explains a little more about the concept and how it works. Check it out below.



My city, Derby, is sparsely populated on the site. So I'm hoping by getting a bit of publicity out there and hopefully with this new smartphone application too I can entice a few more members and see if we get get Derby rocking. 

I hosted a social a few weeks ago and it was great fun and I met some really lovely, like minded people. 

If you feel like getting out there and finding some cool new things to do and people to meet, then head on over to citysocializing.com or download the app. Hopefully see you at the next social!
  
Always Geek, Forever Chic,
Laura.

Origins GinZing Trio, Part Three: Brightening Mascara.

Hello lovely! Today I'd like to talk about another product in the new 'Origins' GinZing range. 

It's the Brightening Mascara.

According to the product notes this is a brightening mascara to lengthen and lift your eyelashes - an exciting claim.

Unlike the rest of the 'in your face' packing for the Origins GinZing range, this is an incredibly and unexpectedly dull tube. Bit of a shame...

You'll get 14ml of mascara in this tube, which is about industry standard. 

I'm struggling to find anything exciting to say about the wand, it's pretty bog standard to be honest. It has a few different shaped bristles, but it's pretty normal. 

The mascara formula is quite thick and it's a nice dark black. 

As you can see from the picture below, my lashes look 'OK' but I just don't see anything that sets this mascara apart. My lashes don't look particularly lengthened or lifted. 

For £17.50, I won't be repurchasing this mascara. I think that's a seriously hefty price tag for a mascara and I'd rather go for something like They're Real by Benefit or Zoom Lash by MAC. 

However if you'd like to give it a go, you can buy this product from Boots online or in store. As well as other retailers that sell the Origins range.

So that marks the end of my three-part Origins GinZing mini-series and sadly all of the products failed to find their place in my make up bag. Oh dear... Better luck next time Origins. 

If you're looking to make a purchase within this range, check out my reviews on the Origins Energy-Boosting Moisturizer & Refreshing Eye Cream too. 
  
Always Geek, Forever Chic,
Laura.

Origins GinZing Trio, Part Two: Refreshing Eye Cream.

Hello lovely! Today I'd like to talk about another product in the new 'Origins' GinZing range. Complete with it's bright orange packaging, you simply can't miss it.

Today I'm reviewing the Refreshing Eye Cream. 

According to the product notes it rapidly wakes up, refreshed and restores radiance to tired eyes. 

Before I review this product I do have to note that (fortunately) I don't suffer with particularly tired looking eyes. I have crease lines under my eyes when I smile, but my eyes look pretty similar on a day to day basis. 

Because of the above, I've never really invested in an eye cream that would de-puff or brighten, having said that, it does appeal to me to have brighter eyes; so I was excited to give this a try.

The pot holds 15ml of product, so it's only a little diddy pot - but that will go a pretty long way because you really only need a tiny amount of product under your eyes.

Unlike the Energy-Boosting Moisturizer from Origins that I reviewed last week (check out that blog post here) this eye cream doesn't really have a smell. 

It's a very thin texture and a few dots under the eye area is all it takes followed by a few swipes of your finger and the cream is absorbed.

It sinks into the skin really simply and voila, you're done.

Now to the disappointing part... For £23.00, I wouldn't be repurchasing this product. It's another item in the GinZing range that I just don't 'get' because it simply does nothing for me. I had to force myself to use this every day so that I could provide a review, because it simply made no difference whether I used this product or not. 

Having said that, I've seen some glowing reviews from beauty bloggers and on the Boots.com website. So if you have particularly puffy eyes and you're looking for something to help with that, perhaps it's still worth picking this up to see if it works for you...

You can buy this product from Boots online or in store. As well as other retailers that sell the Origins range.

If you're looking to make a purchase within this range, check out my reviews on the Origins Energy-Boosting Moisturizer & Brightening Mascara too. 
  
Always Geek, Forever Chic,
Laura.