Black Widow Make-up Pictorial

bbloggers

I'm playing with the idea of doing more in-depth make up tutorials, but I am no pro, so it will only be my self taught methods.

 If you want more info on this look, or details of what products were used, let me know & I will post a little rundown for ya!

 :)

3 month Smile Anniversary - My Positive Message for 2015

brave
It's been 3 months since my E-Day, can you believe it! Here is a little VLOG update for you.

 Taking a look over my previous VLOG's on my Denture Adventure made me really upset and I thought I would take the time to put together a little positive message for anyone embarking on any changes in 2015... I got ya! :)


Gorgeous Chiffon Jacket from F&F at Tesco's - Plus Size #OOTD

#psbloggers
This gorgeous little chiffon number caught my eye last week on my Christmas food shop @ Tesco's. 

 There was only one on the rail and it was a size L, so I took this as a sign that we were meant to be together.  I was even happier to find that it had been reduced in the sales to £12.00; BONUS

 When I tried it on the first time, I wasn't impressed, but at the time I had made no effort to dress it up. I tried it on over baggy jeans and a slouch top and it did nothing for me...well in fairness, I didn't give the poor thing a chance!  

 With NY fast approaching, I thought I would dress it up a bit to give the item it's chance to shine and my, did it surprise me...
I teamed the Florence +F&F jacket with a pair of dark blue @Primark Skinny jeans which are slightly high-waisted to create a smoother silhouette. These jeans are from the "Pull in, Push up" range which are designed to taper the waist and lift the ass-cheek...winning in my books!  I added a simple black longline vest in size 16 from +H&M and donned my patent nude court shoes from +Dorothy Perkins and a simply drape necklace in gold.








I love this look and I will definitely be rocking it on a night out :)

How would you have styled this jacket?

Kat must have been on Santa's "Good Girl" list

#Christmas
Well hello there my lovelies, I hope you have had a lovely break over the festive period.

I thought I would share my booty (no, not my ass! No one needs to see that) with you all, my Christmas booty.

Santa was very generous this year and I got a whole heap of goodies to play with;

Nail Frenzy;

For my birthday I was lucky enough to be given a 36w UV nail lamp, since then I have embarked on growing my gel nail polish collection and these babies are setting the bar...
Bluesky Gel Nail Polish - Shade; Decadence #80525
Bluesky Gel Nail Polish - Shade; Neon Coral #A074
Bluesky Gel Nail Polish - French Manicure Set 
Bluesky Gel Nail Polish - Shade; Pink Nude # ND08

No gel manicure is complete without these;

Gellux Prep & Wipe & Remover

Sometimes you just want a quick colour and this gorgeous gift has 10 nail polishes, 2 nail art pens (black & silver) & 2 bottles of colourful embellishments. It is set up like a calendar, so one for each month of 2015, but to be honest I wanted to get them all out and look at them closer so I ripped the packaging before I snapped a pic!

Colour Couture Nail Art Diary 2015



Enbracing the Curls;

I have always wanted to try out the +Moroccan Oil  brand having naturally curly hair. I have heard people rave about these products so when I opened these gifts I was so excited to give them a try. I am yet to try them out but I will do a full review when I do :)

Moroccan Oil Intense Hydrating Mask


Moroccan Oil Hydrating Mini Box


This next product was added to my Amazon Wish List after I saw +UglyFaceOfBeauty mention it in one of her videos. I opened this pot straight away and was greeted with the strong scent of coconut oil, it's quite overpowering but I'm sure it's going to be a new fave of mine.

To feed my Make up addiction;

I didn't own any +Sigma Beauty brushes before these landed on my lap. I have +MAC Cosmetics blending brushes and a few from +realtechniques, +The Body Shop UK & other sources, so I cannot wait to pit these babies up against my faves to see how they fair... I will let you know....


This +BourjoisFrance bronzer is my go-to product, my baby girl loves the gorgeous chocolate scent so she bought me another one, so I will never run out!


These are my first +NYX Cosmetics products. +MadeULook Twice's Lex used the eyeshadow base in a tutorial and ever since I have been wanting to try this product.




I love, love, LOVE a +MAC Cosmetics lipstick so these two shades are a welcome addition to my collection, both can be purchased online here;

MAC Lipstick - Shade; Peach Blossom

MAC Lipstick - Shade; Sweet & Sour




I have heard great things about +Coastal Scents palettes so when my bestie bought me this one, I was so excited to try it out. I have heard that it is a dupe for the +Urban Decay Cosmetics Naked Palette, but as I don't own it, I cannot comment.



Coastal Scents - Revealed Palette





 Odds & Sods;

Angel Birthstone; Opal (October) Necklace by Angelys - I have a fascination with Opal & Angels so my Mama picked well with this beautiful necklace.
 +Agent Provocateur  - Eau Emotionelle This is one of my favourite perfumes of all time. I had this on my wish list for ages and then recently I was scanning my list and noted that it was missing. So I re-added it assuming I hadn't added it previously. I didn't connect the dots and figure out that my bestie had bought it for me for Xmas!





I have the whole set of Andrew Barton's brushes and I swear by them - I would never let another brush loose on my locks. This brush completes my set...
Andrew Barton - Hair Angel Brush


Penguin Jumper from +Marisota This gorgeously fluffy jumper is now the closest thing I own to a Christmas Jumper. My Mama bought it from Marisota, in a size 22 and it fits perfectly. The penguin is just the cutest little thing!


I hope you love these products as much as I do - if you want a review on anything in particular before you rush out and purchase them please just let me know, but I'm sure they will feature in future posts :)

What did you guys get for Xmas??

New Project/Collaboration for 2015 with Ms Curvaceous UK

#MCUK
I was approached today by Theo of Streamline Empire, the brains behind +Ms Curvaceous UK to become an Ambassador of the MCUK Brand.  I am positively brimming with excitement at the prospect of such a huge opportunity.

 It is a real chance for me to promote a movement that is very close to my heart.  The MCUK brand represents real women, offering them a chance to shine regardless of their size.  Modelling has always been something that I have wanted to aspire to do, but because of my weight, body shape and dental issues I never had the confidence to take that step.  MCUK changed that in 1 day!  It altered my perspective on what is possible, it brought me one step closer to a dream that I never thought possible.

When I happened across a tweet about the chance to attend a FREE Plus Size Modelling workshop in London hosted by MCUK, I was beside myself.  I instantly signed up thinking #YOLO and what the hell did I have to lose.  At the same time I signed up to audition for the MCUK competition.  Now at that time I knew that with NO experience as a model, just a distinct love for a #selfie I had virtually no chance of making it through the audition, what I was sure of was the experience I would have would be a lasting memory and chance to prove to myself that I am capable of achieving anything in this lifetime.

 What I did not bargain for, was the friends I made, the opportunities it gave me and the fun I had.

 I walked into that room with no expectations, a blank canvas ready to see what MCUK had to offer. Based on the common misconception many people have about modelling, I expected to be greeted with a group of women with a frosty, up-tight attitude. I was wrong!

 I met a group of gorgeous, kind-hearted and inspiring women who to this day I remain friends with. Each one of those woman had a story to tell and I feel blessed and honoured to have met each one of them.

The day was empowering, the stories shared made me feel at ease and proud to be a part of such a movement.

 Now I am not entirely sure what being an Ambassador of the brand involves, but I have the opportunity to get involved with the Ms Curvaceous UK 2015 Grand Finale, write for the "Why Not Plus" blog and many other opportunities.

 From my understanding of the MCUK brand, they want to inspire and encourage women of all shapes and sizes to embrace their naturally curvaceous bodies. To change the media's mindset towards REAL women, to provide plus size models with a recognisable avenue within the industry to become noticed and not for the wrong reasons. To show that all women are beautiful regardless of size.

 Promoting self-empowerment, body confidence, self-love and acceptance is something that drives me.  I want to inspire people to love the skin they're in.  If these people want to change their lifestyles along the way to become healthier, happier and more confident people then that is a bonus and I am all for that.  However I am a firm believer that confidence starts from within; accepting your flaws and loving yourself has gotta start with number one (you) Each one of us has a journey to embark on and I want to help people achieve their dreams, by empowering them to be the best versions of themselves possible.

 I am on journey too and I hope that the support that I have gained from MCUK will continue to help me grow into the woman I want to be.

 I am extremely excited about the opportunity laid in front of me and I can feel that 2015 is going to be a very eventful year.

The Winter Tag

#MerryChristmas
Thanks to Brenda BusyBee's Blog for giving me the idea to do this awesome Tag. You can check out her one right here; http://brendabusybee.blogspot.co.uk/2014/12/the-winter-tag.html

 1) What's your favourite seasonal drink from either Starbucks/Costa or your cafe of choice?

 See I am a sucker for a basic cuppa; a nice, homemade golden yet milky tea (preferrably Twinings Everyday Tea Bags) in a big Disney mug with 1 & 1/2 sugars. I am yet to find a cafe alternative that can better how I make my perfect cup of tea.

 2) What accessories do you opt for? Scarf/boots/gloves?

 I am partial to a Scarf but right now I am loving my ASOS Blanket Scarf which is still available to buy for £18.00.
I always opt for fingerless gloves so I have my fingers free for blogging on the go! My current pair are long so they warm your wrists too :)
Winter makes for warm & cosy feet too, so thick fluffy socks teamed with my Gumtree boots from +Simply Be which are very similar to UGGs but at a fraction of the cost.  I have extremely thick calves so finding boots that fit is always a mean feat, but I love these boots.

 3) What's your favourite tunes for this time of year?

 Winter makes for chill out music in my household, probably because I am always longing to be on a beach somewhere.  Chill out music takes me to my happy place; on a lounger, basking in the summer sun with the sound of waves crashing at my feet...bliss! Try this song on for size and tell me it doesn't make you feel warm inside...
In the lead up to Christmas I will always add a few Carols & Christmas songs into the mix just to get me in the festive mood.
4) What scent or perfume do you find yourself favouring this time of year?

 Perfume has gotta be Paco Rabanne's Black XS.  It has a hint of patchouli & black vanilla in it giving it a warm sensual smell.



5) What candle's will you be burning this season?

 I have two candle's on rotation in my house; Vanilla or Lemongrass; both scents are invigorating and bring back fond memories :)

 6) What is it you love most about winter?

 Cosy nights on the sofa with a duvet, any excuse to layer up clothing with fluffy jumpers or comfy PJ's, Snow (when & if it happens) the excitement of Christmas & the changing of the seasons from winter to spring!

 7) Your favourite make-up look for Winter?

 My signature look of a smoky eye teamed with a berry lip or nude.

 8) What are you most looking forward to this winter?

 Cracking out my new boots from Simply Be, wearing my new fluffy Penguin Jumper (A Christmas gift from My Mama), spending time with my loved ones & friends over the festive period and eating lots of naughty things like my weight in Christmas chocolates and more roast dinners than you can shake a stick at!

 I tag +Leah XL Channel , +Color U Bold & +Cody Wren to do this tag and anyone else who would like to join in, feel free - tweet me your links so I can read up too :)

 Merry Christmas xx

Christmas Tree OCD

#Christmas
My Mum & Dad's tree is always an explosion of colour and mine in contrast is rather understated.

I suppose as a child I grew up with all the tinsel and rainbow colours and that's what has made me opt for a more subdued number as an adult! I'm sure you read my previous post which gave you a bit of an insight into just how bad my Christmas Tree OCD is...

But with all that aside, it doesn't feel like Christmas until we are all sat round the fire at my Mummy's house opening pressies :)






Merry Christmas Y'all xxx

**Product Review** Super Chic Shadow & Primer Palette by Barry M Cosmetics

barry M
This palette features 6 gorgeous shimmer shades by Barry M Cosmetics.  It's a Superdrug Special Edition Palette but can still be purchased both in store and online here

The teal colour of the packaging caught my eye, well that and the affordable price tag (£6.49)  I love Barry M's range of Dazzle Dust pots so when I happened across this palette I couldn't refuse.

Each of the 6 shades are highly pigmented and could work wonderfully alone or blended. The shades are quite autumnal and I can see me using these over the festive period.

They are the perfect combination of colour and shimmer, so could provide both a subtle day look and a vampy night look.



I have swatched the colours below and lined them up with the palette as the shades do not have names  :(

Also included are 2 double ended applicators which to be honest I have not and probably will not use and an eye primer which is has a very similar consistency to lip balm! I haven't tried the primer on yet but from first swatch I can't say I'm that blown away!

All in all I am very happy with my purchase and I cannot wait to trial out a few looks to share.

Have you tried this palette, what do you think of it?

Racist comments hurt...PERIOD!

colour
Over my 31 years on this planet I have had my fair share of insults & slurs based on the colour of my skin but each time it happens it never ceases to shock me.
 
So last night, on my way home from work I was walking down the stairs trying to exit the train station in my town and a woman barged passed me & the person next to me exclaiming to her husband (who was still behind me); "Uh, I was stuck behind these Scots & these Pakis."
 
Ok so firstly, I must make it clear the person next to me was clearly a Scottish man, he had quite a thick accent heard clearly when talking to his friend, so this was more of an observation than a slur as such.  However, as I was the only person of any ethnic origin in the immediate vicinity (and it was me that she barged passed) I deduced it was me that she was referring to as the "Paki." The poor woman was obviously in a rush because she practically ran off after making her comment.
 
I was in utter shock! So much so that all I could do was laugh quite loudly! In hindsight I should have said something back or questioned her but in that state of shock no words came to me, I was appalled!!
 
Her husband looked visibly disturbed by the comment and had that face as if he wished the ground would open and swallow him whole, but even when he passed me and we glanced at each other, he made no apology for his wife's racist comment.
 
Now I must also clarify that my descent is not from India, I have never set foot in India, let alone Pakistan.  My Mother is South African and my Father; Mauritian.  I was born in Mayday Hospital in Croydon!!
 
I understand that the colour of my skin may confuse people but what does that give people the right to make generalised racial about a person? Why comment at all?
 
RACISM IS UNECCESSARY! We are all Human! We all breathe, eat & shit!
 
What purpose did her comment serve, I mean to what end?  Simply cos the Scottish Man & I were in her way.  We were in front of her, is that a problem??
 
Have you ever been subjected to Racist comments?  How did they make you feel?

**Product Review** Leighton Denny's Eau De Parfum - Light & Dark

Eau De Parfum
I was extremely lucky to have won a bottle of this gorgeous perfume via Everything Cosmetic

Here's my thoughts on this scent;

"The packaging of this 70ml Eau De Parfum was enough to hook me.  The box was eye-catching and the pattern with the logo in the background reminded me of Gucci's well known motif.  This instantly made me thing highly of the perfume without even a whiff!  The bottle was a unique shape, the simple & understated "LD" logo on the lid exuded elegance.  Once opened the aroma was strong, almost heady.  The fruity blend of fragrances are a perfect fit to a Christmas scent, you can instantly pick out the Myrrh, Incense & Jasmine.  The perfume was quite intense on first spray but throughout the day it diffused, making it a perfect transitional scent from day to night, so aptly named "Light & Dark"  I love this and will totally be recommending this to my friends."





Thank you to The EC Team for sending me this gorgeous gift, my first Christmas pressie!

Xo


Holidays are coming...Catch-up in Pictures

carols
I have had such a busy few weeks what with the run up to Christmas, work parties, shopping & general family life.

Here are my highlights;

My Company Christmas Party;  The Brewery is such a gorgeous venue. It was hosting multiple Christmas Parties on this night as it has lots of different rooms.  Our theme was Dream Circus and the room was decorated very well.  It was definitely a weird feeling watching all the other Companies employees dressed up to the nine's & then our company rocking up in casual clothes! It was cool to by comfy though!  The DJ played some great tunes, but had no idea of how to keep a crowd going.  He would play a banger and then follow it up with a slow jam and people just didn't get it!  Such a shame!  The food was really novel, it was an indian themed buffet of curries, rice & naan breads, but then they were serving mini pies with a dollop of mash & liquor and mini fajitas throughout the night. The highlight of the night has gotta be the photo booth!


Finance Team Meal; It was lovely to sit down & get to know my team.  We ate some lovely food & drank till we were merry!  Good clean fun had by all!


My Secret Santa Gift;  Santa made my day by giving me a retractable Kabuki Brush by Real Techniques. I make Secret Santa a bit of a "G!"





Pandora's Box - on a spare desk in our office we have a hamper filled with goodies and condiments for all to use. This box is rather aptly named "Pandora's Box"  It's usually populated with naughty items like biscuits, cakes & the like.  We each contribute to Pandora so this week as it's Christmas I decided to offer some mini cupcakes from Lola's Cupcakes.  Check out these delectably bite-size mouthfuls of heaven!



Christmas Shopping; Yesterday I had the "pleasure" of doing ALL my Xmas shopping.  The shops weren't nearly as busy as I had expected & I managed to pick up everything I needed without breaking the bank!  

Choir Practice; My Mother is a Choir Leader & every year we host the Christmas masses, so in the two weeks prior to Xmas, we get together on Sunday evening to rehearse the songs.  It always begins to feel Christmassy when I go to these practices, cos we sing all the Carols I love. It really makes my Christmas!

Bloggers Meet-Up;  Anne-Lise (Mookie) of Mookie's Life & I arranged an impromptu mini-meet up at Pizza Express in Reigate.  It was lovely to meet her and her friend Heidi.  They are beautiful ladies with many stories to tell.  It was such a honour to meet Mookie as I had been reading her blog for some time.  Heidi won a competition in Norway when she completed a dramatic weight-loss goal, I was so intrigued by her story.  Both ladies inspire me to be better, so thank you ladies for a lovely evening.


Putting up my Christmas Tree;  I have a Christmas Tree OCD, I need to make sure the tree both is aesthetically pleasing & symmetrical, much to the annoyance of my family. When other people help me decorate the tree, I get annoyed if they position decorations unevenly, to the point that I have been known to get up in the middle of the night and rearrange the tree whilst everyone is asleep. I even go so far as to match my wrapping paper to my tree decs and hide any presents (behind others) that do not match the colour scheme.  So this year, I promised Andy & Mya that I would let them have creative say over the tree.  So here is how they decorated it!









Ben Haenow; You may have heard that the winner of X-Factor UK this year was Ben Haenow.  I had the pleasure of working with Ben in one of my previous jobs.  He is a lovely man and I wish him the very best of luck in his new career.  A few friends of mine came together to his meet up in Croydon town centre to watch him perform.  He sang well and it was lovely to see how excited he was about the up-coming final.

Debs, Nathasha & I then went to Pizza express for some food and catch up.  It's so nice to spend time with these ladies, I love them but we all lead such busy lives, it's hard to get time to see each other often.


A Little New Year's Giveaway

#KatsNYGiveaway
I have been astounded by the feedback & comments I have had so far on my Blog.  When I look at my stats I am brimming with excitement to see my little idea to start this blog, blossom & I truly hope that it does continue to grow.  I have so many posts lined up and I cannot wait to share them all with you.

When I started blogging, I never for one second did it for followers or publicity, I just want to meet new people, make new friends and share my love for life, beauty, fashion and all other things with like-minded people.  I feel humbled by the love I have been shown so far.

So as a little New Year's gift to you all, I have created a little giveaway as my way of saying "thank you"

To enter;
Follow me on Bloglovin' & Instagram
Share this picture on your Instagram and use the following tag;
#KatsNYGiveaway 
AND
make sure to tag me in your photo; @kat_v_henry



1 winner will be chosen at random at Midday (12:00 GMT) on 01/01/2015

 Entry Criteria;
This is an international giveaway.
Anyone can enter.
You must be following me on both Bloglovin' & Instagram at the time of draw & postage.
Only one entry per person will be counted.

 *Disclaimer*
All products have been purchased myself, no items have been sponsored.




Budding MUA - Looks for other people

bbloggers
Recently I've had the pleasure of doing one of the things I love most; Make Up looks for others.

All three lovely ladies, didn't want anything too extravagant, but wanted to look/feel pretty.

So I tried my hand at making these already gorgeous ladies unleash their inner vixens.

It was so much fun - I love making things look pretty and although I am by no means a pro - I think the colours and looks I created for each of these girlies enhanced their natural beauty and made them feel amazing.


Kirstie;  She wanted a look that was subtle & smoky to compliment the red lippy she'd bought recently and to fall in line with her outfit of a simple black shift dress, matching black clutch and killer Louboutins.  She applied her own lipstick and unfortunately I couldn't get a pic without the top hair rollers in, cos she used the age old trick of leaving those babies in her hair until she got out of the car for added "oomph" to her curls.





Moya; She asked for a smoky eye but a bold lip and for me this is a signature look.  She specifically wanted to rock MAC Cosmetics' Ruby Woo lippy so I teamed that with a darker eye.  Moya has beautiful big eyes and this proved to be quite a challenge as she also has a monolid eye shape.  I used my first ever cut crease method to create the effect of a crease and smoked out the outer eye to creat definition.  I also accentuated the inner eye to create depth.  The eyeliner was thinner toward the inner part of the eye but thickened out creating a nice wing to enhance those beauties.  Moya's complexion was another challenge.  Her make up request was impromptu, so I had to manipulate two shades of foundation to match her, this was nerve-wrecking to say the least!
Moya was promoting the LuvLust Clothing Brand in her pictures, who's logo is primarily black & red so the colours complimented the brand well.  
Check her out "Throwing her L's Up" for LuvLust_London 




Gabi;  She was attending her work Christmas meal and wanted to look her best, so I chose another subtle look to compliment her natural colours.  I used a copper colour as the basis for the eyes and kept the lips very neutral.  Gabi looked radiant :)




What do you think of these looks?

The Perfect Occasion Maxi from Simply Be

Christmas
I had been eyeing up this gorgeous number in the +Simply Be Catalogue for some time, but at the original price of £95.00 I just could not bring myself to press the "buy" button. 
Then the Christmas fairy sent me a gift... I got a voucher for money off and I managed to nab this number at a discounted price of £76.00 instead!
The colour is somewhere between royal blue and violet.  The top half is lace over a bodice and the skirt has a waterfall drop combined with a lovely embellishment at the middle to bring it all together.

 The material is quite slinky, so I opted for shapewear underneath to hide any lumps/bumps.

 I bought this in a size 20 although I would usually opt for a 22 for comfort and I am glad I didn't to be honest, the 22 would have been too big.  The arms fit nicely and no part feels too fitted,  

 This dress makes me feel glam!

 You can pick it up here; 
Joanna Hope - Lace Bodice Maxi Dress
It would be perfect for weddings or the more formal Christmas do's, but unfortunately mine is a casual affair this year and if I wore this I would be extremely overdressed! :(

 Oh well...I will just have to organise an event to wear it to!
What do you think?


Finalists Announced for Ms Curvaceous UK

audition
After many long hours of waiting Ms Curvaceous UK finally announced their top 20 finalists just before midnight last night.
 
I am so proud to say that 4 of my group of curvy beauties got through to the finals, which by ratio gives 1 of our ladies a damn good shot at winning.  CONGRATULATIONS to Pippa, Serena, Anastasia & Laurie x
 
I will be purchasing my ticket to go and support them on payday. I cannot wait!!
You can see the full list of finalists here;
 
Whilst I am of course disappointed that I didn't make it through I am so happy for the girls and I had a wonderful experience and made some amazing friends.  I wouldn't change a thing!!