Before I start off, can I just say: Look at all those cupcakes. Any event that welcomes you with cupcakes is off to a good start in my eyes! On Saturday 17th May, I excitedly made my way into Leeds city centre for the launch of Oriflame's new collection, 'The One'. With celebrity make up artist Gary Cockerill as ambassador for the brand, I was very much looking forward to seeing what they had in store for us. The event was held in The Living Room, just a few steps off Park Row and very much a hidden gem in the heart of the city - but more on that later! Let me show you just some of the make up we were all going ga-ga over, including the biggest make up case I have ever seen. I need to get me one of those.





Ever the punctual bloggers that we are, a few of us arrived a good 20 minutes early (What can I say, we were enthusiastic!), and rather than proving a hindrance, we were warmly welcomed and installed in the bar with drinks all around. The people behind the event finished setting up, and soon enough we were joined by other bloggers - far more than I had anticipated - and we were led through into the main room to get the event started. Gary introduced himself to us, and explained how he had not only come to be an ambassador for The One Collective, but also how he forged a path for himself as a make up artist. His story was fascinating; I glanced around the room and everyone was captivated, like children being read to at school! I won't go into too much detail, but Gary started out actually working down the mines - a proper Yorkshire lad through and through. From there, he managed to secure a job painting mannequins, before deciding to let loose his creativity and create a name for himself as a make up artist. It was a wonderful story about never giving up on your dreams, and a privilege to listen to straight from the man himself.




Oriflame is a brand that Gary is very clearly passionate about, and it's easy to see why. Often referred to as "The Swedish version of Avon" (I bet they get bored of reading that quickly!), Oriflame was actually established well over 40 years ago, and is an extremely popular and respected brand in over 60 countries. In the UK, they are not very well known and they are working to change that. I was lucky enough to recieve their Very Me Extendalash Mascara last year at a blogger meet up and I quickly fell in love with it - in fact, it was only until very recently that I stopped using it! 'The One' is their latest collection, adding to an already incredibly vast range of products (Go on the website - I guarantee that you will be on there for a while!). So, what does 'The One' bring to the table, and what makes it stand out from the rest?




'The One' collection is made up of three ranges; "High Impact", "Everyday Beauty" and "Long Wear". It focuses on making their already good quality products even better - we're talking more intense pigmentation, longer lasting formulas, and more shade ranges than ever before. The sheer size of the collection is astounding; everything from foundation to cream eyeshadows is included, without compromising on quality at all. After having a flick through the catalogue that was included in our goody bags, their prices are also excellent - the Colour Unlimited Lipstick for example is £6.95, and the Long Wear Nail Polish is £4.95. Very competitive, affordable prices that would make most people think twice!




Gary got straight into it, by demonstrating three make up looks on three very willing volunteers - one of them being me! Getting made up by a celebrity make up artist was just far too good of an opportunity to pass up. First off was Yuna, where Gary demonstrated how to create a bold, long lasting lip. Yuna, who by her own confession rarely wears bold colours on her lips, was the perfect candidate for the task. Gary was full of useful tips and advice as he went along - the best one for me was applying a touch of highlighter to the cupid's bow, and a bronzer underneath the bottom lip to create the illusion of fuller lips. Genius or what? That's a tip to treasure forever, for sure. I think that you'll agree that Yuna looked stunning; she pulled it off so well, I likened her to Snow White with her dark hair and new bolder lips!




After the demonstration on Yuna, it was time for a break and some refreshment was in dire need in the sweltering heat! The Living Room staff kept us all well supplied with many drinks - non-alcholic for most of us, I think due to the heat! - and started dishing out some nibbles. Well, nibbles is a poor word to describe the food actually - miniature works of art is more appropriate! We were served everything from bitesize burgers to whitebait, and everything was absolutely delicious. I need to come back and review the food properly one day, as I was very impressed by the quality and variety of food that they offer. Afterwards, we all demolished our cupcakes very rapidly indeed - well, we are bloggers, you know.



After being very well fed and watered, it was time for the next demonstration of the day, and lucky old me got given some absolutely amazing false eyelashes. It has to be said that poor Gary had his work cut out with me; my lashes are of a reasonable length, but very straight, and generally do not behave in the way I'd like. The top tip that came from this demonstration was how to curl lashes. Instead of clamping the curlers at the root of the lashes and squeezing so hard that your hand falls off, curl the lashes in three stages; at the root, the middle and the very ends, squeezing gently but rapidly about 10 times at each stage. The result is beautifully curled, fluttery lashes - an absolute rarity on me! He then applied some of his own brand false lashes on me (The ones he used were Damsel In A Dress), and used the Volume Blast Mascara to bring the whole look together. Everyone was wowed at the results, especially me - for the first time in my life, I had lashes to be proud of! Having only worn false lashes once before, I was expecting them to be uncomfortable and irritating - but in fact, they were quite the opposite, even with my sensitive eyes. I was very sad to be removing them at the end of the day, let me tell you.




The final demonstration for the afternoon was on Steph, where Gary showed us how to correctly and effectively apply an intense cream eyeshadow. Gary used a beautiful dark turquoise shade, which looked beautiful against Steph's skin and her red hair. Instead of applying cream eyeshadow straight from the pot onto the eyelid (Something I'm guilty of), taking a few seconds to apply a primer first really helps give the creamy formula something to stick to. Not only that, but also applying a powder base in a shade similar to the cream eyeshadow helps prevent creasing, therefore providing a longer lasting look. By the time Gary was done, Steph was sporting a beautifully smokey, yet very wearable eye that we were all very envious of! The eyeshadow was brought under the lower lash line to define the look and bring it all together - something that I never thought would be possible when using a cream eyeshadow.



All too soon, it was time for us all to head home, and the lovely people from Faith PR very kindly supplied us all with a very generous goody bag. I didn't get to take a peek at it until I got home, but when I did I was over the moon! Inside was a sample of the Volare Parfum de Toilette, Colour Impact Cream Eye Shadow in Deep Indigo, Long Wear Nail Polish in Night Orchid, Colour Unlimited Lipstick in Absolute Blush, Lash Resistance Mascara, and an Eye Liner Stylo Pen in Black. I've been trying out some of these products over the last week or so, and I have to say that I'm very impressed so far, particularly with the mascara - which has now replaced my Very Me one! One in, one out, as they say. As I left the event, I may have also sneaked out an extra cupcake for Martin... sssh, don't tell anyone.

A big thank you must go to Faith PR and Oriflame for organising such a brilliant event - it was fun, engaging and far exceeded my expectations! Thank you also to The Living Room for looking after us so well, even in the sweltering heat (Their aircon was broken but that was no ones fault), and of course thank you to Gary, who not only provided us with some excellent demonstrations, but also dished out some fantastic beauty tips that we will all be using in the future!