Little Black Dress ft Navy Blazer

Blazer buttoned up

excuse the zombie hand, lol 

Dress - Dorothy Perkins

Blazer - Zara 

Shoes - Dune 

Read my review of my Navy blazer here 

Read my post on the history of the LBD here  

What to Wear to Work - Sheath dress with White shirt

 The French gave us crepes, Madame Clavelle, Madeline and CoCo Chanel. I will be the first to admit, this does look a bit like uniform. However there are some days when I want an outfit that says "I am here to work"  something simple yet effective. A sheath dress is good for under layering shirts/blouses as well as over layering jackets/blazers/cardigans. 

Dress - Matalan

Shirt - T. M. Lewin

Shoes - Dune

Earrings - Pia 

"Fashion Fades, but style remains forever." Yves Saint Laurent

MAC Mineralize Skinfinish Natural

MAC says:  "A luxurious domed face powder with minerals, slowly baked to provide a dimensional yet natural-matte finish. Provides perfect low coverage. Use to set and fix foundation or as a touch-up throughout the day".  Mac is known for it's Mineralize Skinfinishes  such as Soft and Gentle & Gold Deposit and Comfort, these can be used as  highlighting products blushes and eyeshadows. 

Mineralize Skinfinish Natural: MSF Natural powders are very popular in the beauty community. The Mineralize Skinfinish Natural is a lightweight powder which can be worn alone or over foundation. They apply very smoothly to the skin, give a natural luminous glow. When the sun hits your skin the minerals reflect and help to bring out the natural dimensions on your skin.  I usually apply using kabuki brush, since I find that this gives the most even coverage upon application.  Another good point about the MAC Mineralize Skinfinish Natural powder is the fact that it doesn't oxidize, like many others do.  Mac offers several different shades in the range,  from very light to a medium dark.  This is definitely a must have product for me I used it every day I had classes while I was at uni and even now I carry it with me everyday to work along with my blot powder.  The MAC Mineralize Skinfinish Natural is a product I always recommend it to others and when my friends are stumped on gift ideas Christmas/birthday they just pick me up one of these. 

The negatives: there is no mirror in the Mineralize compact, for others this is an issue. For me not having a mirror is not an issue, my Blot powder compact/Studio fix compact/Rubie and Millie mini Brush set all contain mirrors. I also have a small stand alone mirror in my bag.

There is a bit of fallout after swirling the brush around in the product, but that happens with most powders.

 Til next time my lovelies........xx

Little Black Dress ft Black Blazer

Rounding out the Little Black Dress series is another daytime work wear look.

Dress - Dorothy Perkins

Blazer - Zara

Shoes - Dune 

What to Wear to Work - The other LBD

The "other" LBD or the Little Blue Dress (we do not discriminate on colour around here) is another stylish piece one can add to the work wear wardrobe. Navy, Azure, Cerulean and my favourite Cobalt are just a few of the hues available from the Blue Palette. A little Blue Dress can be worn  with a cardigan as shown above or further styled with a blazer or lightweight jacket.

Dress - Dorothy Perkins

Cardigan - Primark

Shoes - Dune

earrings - Pia

Bracelets - Thomas Sabo/Links of London


"Fashion fades, but style remains eternal." Yves Saint Laurent

MAC Tag

How long have you been using Mac?

Since 2008 

What was your first Mac product?

Studio Fix Powder + Foundation, Studio Finish concealer

What is your favourite MAC product?

MAC Mineralize Skinfinish Natural in dark deep (previously deep dark)

What's your least favourite Mac product?

The nail polishes

Do you own a Pro Card?

No

Your Mac foundation shade:

NW45 

Eyeshadow: 

No idea, lol 

Lipstick:

 Ruby Woo

Lipgloss:

Mac Lip GELEE in Moistly 

Liner:

MAC Navy Eyeliner 

Brush:

239, 217

Nail Lacquer:

None

Pro Product:

None

Comment on the following Mac product; Have you used them? If so, give feedback.

Prep + Prime Skin:

Never used it

Studio Sculpt Foundation:

Never used this. the reviews were not positive either.

Mineralize Satin Finish:

Never used this either.  I may try it out in the future.

Studio Fix Fluid:

Tried it wasn't impressed

Studio Tech Foundation:

Never tried it

Studio Fix Powder:

LOVE THIS! I use this powder along and it does well by me. It has a really nice smooth texture, applies to the skin lovely as long as i have cleansed toned and moisturized. If you try putting this on dirty skin it cakes up in patches.

Beauty Powder:

Never used these. 

Mineralize Skinfinish Natural:

Love this, been using it since 2010 without a break or fail.. I just hit pan and I have already purchased a backup. 

Mineralize Skin Finish:

I own two of these in the shade Comfort, I am intrigued to try Soft and Gentle as well as Gold Deposit

Bronzing Powder:

Never tried it

Powder Blush:

I own Trace Gold (recommended for use as a highlighter) and I have tried Raizin. 

Blushcreme:

No

Mineralize Blush:

Never tried it.  They certainly look pretty. I love the marbled effect going through them and that they have a shimmer too them to add highlight.

Cream Color Base:

Never tried it

Studio Sculpt Concealer:

Never tried it.

Select Cover Up Concealer:

Never tried it, but should.

Studio Finish Concealer:

I have used this  MAC concealer I use it when I want to 007 my eyebrows, sometimes on blemishes. 

Tinted Lip Conditioner:

Never used it

Lipstick:

Ruby Woo 

Lipglass:

Never tried it.

Dazzleglass:

Love Alert - a lot of money for too little product

Cremesheen Glass:

Never tried it, do not like the milky milky look on my lips. 

Lip Gelee:

Moistly is my fave, love the stuff.

 

Lip Pencil:

Cherry to go with my Ruby Woo

Nail Lacquer:

Tried one and that was enough, the formula was thick and gloopy gloopy, total waste of money

Shadestick:

Never used these.

Pigment: 

I have 4 they are great. 

Eye Kohl:

Never tried it

Fluidline:

Never tried it

Liquid Last Liner:

Never tried.

Lustre Drops:

Never tried them. 

False Lashes:

Never tried any false eyelashes

ProLash Mascara, Zoom Lash Mascara, Plush Lash Mascara, Dazzle Lash Mascara:

No

What has been your favourite Mac collection to date?

All shades, All races

Which of the MAC collections have you found disappointing?

Never been that invested, lol 

What products do you think Mac are missing?

I think a team of people get paid very handsomely for this. 

Well this was long....

Feel free to comment  below with some of your fave MAC products.

xx

Currently listening to

This song just sums up how I feel about carnival, the costumes, the excitement, the vibe.

When you make pain look so good it never wears out!!!! Everytime I hear that line it gives me life.

Our neighbourhood over achiever- did you know Emelie's fall back career plan is to be a doctor? Gives a new meaning to where they do that at!!!! 

We ready for the ROADDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDD, enough said.

My lil sis (one of them) is graduating from uni soon, Drake said it best i'm so, i'm so i'ms o proud of you!!!

Little Black Dress ft Navy cardigan & Black pump

Another LBD and cardigan combo for Spring, remember no back of the closet for the little black dress.  A good combo for work, and windy days or afternoons. Get out and enjoy the  sun. 

"Fashion fades by Style remains eternal." - Yves Saint Laurent

Dress - Dorothy Perkins

Cardigan - H&M

Shoes - Dune 
xx

Little Black Dress ft Blue Cardigan

It's here, it's here spring time has arrived. 

Wait hold on, pause for a minute. Just because Spring has sprung that does not mean that your LBD has to be pushed to the recesses of your closet until Fall. Remember CoCo Chanel designed the dress to be timeless, in other words the Little Black Dress eclipses seasons and trends. However since Spring is here, why not do like I did and add a pop of colour to the LBD, with a coloured blazer or cardigan? You might even want to experiment with broaches. 

Dress - Dorothy Perkins

Shoe - Dune Sanctuary Pump

Cardigan - Primark 

Bracelets - Thomas Sabo/Links of London

oh where, oh where, oh where is shadow? lol lol 

Cosmo Blog Awards 2013

The Cosmopolitan Blog Awards are open and I have decided  to enter! 

I know some people have different opinions about these blog awards but I see it as a good chance to get your blog out and exposed to an even greater audience.

I'd really love it if you would nominate Miakhymai for Best Established Beauty blog.

Each nomination would mean the world to me. 

You can nominate by clicking, here

Warren Buffett is bullish ... on women - By Warren Buffett

On the skirt of Sheryl Sandberg's best seller "Lean In,"  Warren Buffett details how women are the savior of the american  (world) economy. 

In an exclusive essay the Berkshire Hathaway (BRKA, Fortune 500)chairman and CEO explains why women are key to America's prosperity. 

In the flood of words written recently about women and work, one related and hugely significant point seems to me to have been neglected. It has to do with America's future, about which -- here's a familiar opinion from me -- I'm an unqualified optimist. Now entertain another opinion of mine: Women are a major reason we will do so well. 

Start with the fact that our country's progress since 1776 has been mind-blowing, like nothing the world has ever seen. Our secret sauce has been a political and economic system that unleashes human potential to an extraordinary degree. As a result Americans today enjoy an abundance of goods and services that no one could have dreamed of just a few centuries ago.

But that's not the half of it -- or, rather, it's just about the half of it. America has forged this success while utilizing, in large part, only half of the country's talent. For most of our history, women -- whatever their abilities -- have been relegated to the sidelines. Only in recent years have we begun to correct that problem.

Despite the inspiring "all men are created equal" assertion in the Declaration of Independence, male supremacy quickly became enshrined in the Constitution. In Article II, dealing with the presidency, the 39 delegates who signed the document -- all men, naturally -- repeatedly used male pronouns. In poker, they call that a "tell."

Finally, 133 years later, in 1920, the U.S. softened its discrimination against women via the 19th Amendment, which gave them the right to vote. But that law scarcely budged attitudes and behaviors. In its wake, 33 men rose to the Supreme Court before Sandra Day O'Connor made the grade -- 61 years after the amendment was ratified. For those of you who like numbers, the odds against that procession of males occurring by chance are more than 8 billion to one.

When people questioned the absence of female appointees, the standard reply over those 61 years was simply "no qualified candidates." The electorate took a similar stance. When my dad was elected to Congress in 1942, only eight of his 434 colleagues were women. One lonely woman, Maine's Margaret Chase Smith, sat in the Senate.

Resistance among the powerful is natural when change clashes with their self-interest. Business, politics, and, yes, religions provide many examples of such defensive behavior. After all, who wants to double the number of competitors for top positions?

But an even greater enemy of change may well be the ingrained attitudes of those who simply can't imagine a world different from the one they've lived in. What happened in my own family provides an example. I have two sisters. The three of us were regarded, by our parents and teachers alike, as having roughly equal intelligence -- and IQ tests in fact confirmed our equality. For a long time, to boot, my sisters had far greater "social" IQ than I. (No, we weren't tested for that -- but, believe me, the evidence was overwhelming.)

The moment I emerged from my mother's womb, however, my possibilities dwarfed those of my siblings, for I was a boy! And my brainy, personable, and good-looking siblings were not. My parents would love us equally, and our teachers would give us similar grades. But at every turn my sisters would be told -- more through signals than words -- that success for them would be "marrying well." I was meanwhile hearing that the world's opportunities were there for me to seize.

So my floor became my sisters' ceiling -- and nobody thought much about ripping up that pattern until a few decades ago. Now, thank heavens, the structural barriers for women are falling.

Still an obstacle remains: Too many women continue to impose limitations on themselves, talking themselves out of achieving their potential. Here, too, I have had some firsthand experience.

Among the scores of brilliant and interesting women I've known is the late Katharine Graham, long the controlling shareholder and CEO of the Washington Post Co. (WPO)Kay knew she was intelligent. But she had been brainwashed -- I don't like that word, but it's appropriate -- by her mother, husband, and who knows who else to believe that men were superior, particularly at business.

When her husband died, it was in the self-interest of some of the men around Kay to convince her that her feelings of inadequacy were justified. The pressures they put on her were torturing. Fortunately, Kay, in addition to being smart, had an inner strength. Calling on it, she managed to ignore the baritone voices urging her to turn over her heritage to them.

I met Kay in 1973 and quickly saw that she was a person of unusual ability and character. But the gender-related self-doubt was certainly there too. Her brain knew better, but she could never quite still the voice inside her that said, "Men know more about running a business than you ever will."

I told Kay that she had to discard the fun-house mirror that others had set before her and instead view herself in a mirror that reflected reality. "Then," I said, "you will see a woman who is a match for anyone, male or female."

I wish I could claim I was successful in that campaign. Proof was certainly on my side: Washington Post stock went up more than 4,000% -- that's 40 for 1 -- during Kay's 18 years as boss. After retiring, she won a Pulitzer Prize for her superb autobiography. But her self-doubt remained, a testament to how deeply a message of unworthiness can be implanted in even a brilliant mind.

I'm happy to say that funhouse mirrors are becoming less common among the women I meet. Try putting one in front of my daughter. She'll just laugh and smash it. Women should never forget that it is common for powerful and seemingly self-assured males to have more than a bit of the Wizard of Oz in them. Pull the curtain aside, and you'll often discover they are not supermen after all. (Just ask their wives!)

So, my fellow males, what's in this for us? Why should we care whether the remaining barriers facing women are dismantled and the fun-house mirrors junked? Never mind that I believe the ethical case in itself is compelling. Let's look instead to your self-interest.

No manager operates his or her plants at 80% efficiency when steps could be taken that would increase output. And no CEO wants male employees to be underutilized when improved training or working conditions would boost productivity. So take it one step further: If obvious benefits flow from helping the male component of the workforce achieve its potential, why in the world wouldn't you want to include its counterpart?

Fellow males, get onboard. The closer that America comes to fully employing the talents of all its citizens, the greater its output of goods and services will be. We've seen what can be accomplished when we use 50% of our human capacity. If you visualize what 100% can do, you'll join me as an unbridled optimist about America's future.

This story is from the May 2, 2013 issue of Fortune.

Review - Garnier Intensive 7 Days Hand Cream SOS Repair

If you read my winter skincare series you would already be familiar with this product, but in case you did not I will include the link below. 

      I know washing hands, moisturizing hands, hand creams at times it all seems so trivial. However your hands are one of the first places to show signs of ageing, and one way you can help this is to moisturize. Battling this never ending winter, along with the hand soap battle can leave hands extremely dry. 

     I bought this hand cream through the positive endorsement of my friend Paula. She loved it and it costs £2.99 (£1.50 I bought it in the sale in October at ASDA) a lot less than £8 which is the price of a standard 30ml L'occitane Shea Butter hand cream. This cream contains an ingredient called L-Bifidus which forms a barrier over the skin to prevent all the moisture from escaping.  This is the same ingredient used in the Garnier Intensive 7 Day Nourishing Lotion. The Garnier 7 Day Hand Cream keeps my hands moisturized without a greasy feel and when I wash my hands they do not feel stripped and dry. Though the cream comes out slightly thick, a little goes a long way. If you do decide to purchase this product, only apply a little at a time. I keep this on my desk at work, since it is the largest of my hand creams at 75ml. 

Would I repurchase? - Yes
Would I buy full priced? -  Yes
Would I recommend? - Yes


Winter Skincare Series Hand Creams

L'occitane Shea butter Hand Cream

Garnier Intensive 7 Day Nourishing Lotion