Make Up Of The Day #2

If you've seen my January favourites video, you will know that I have been absolutely loving the Urban Decay Naked 3 eye shadow palette at the moment. Such a variety of looks can be achieved from this one palette, and the look I'm talking about today is one of my favourites using all the matte shades.

Base

A mixture of Esteé Lauder Double Wear in 'Shell' mixed with a generous amount of No7 Skin Illuminator was applied all over with a Real Techniques Expert face brush, my favourite brush to use with this foundation. I used Maybelline's The Eraser concealer for under eyes and blogger favourite Collection Lasting Perfection concealer for any blemishes in the lightest shade.

The powder I used was an old favourite - Stay Matte by Rimmel. I then used the Sleek Face Form palette in Light to give some colour to my face and used the highlighter too on the high points of my face.

Eyes

I had run out of my beloved Anastasia Brow Wiz, so penciled in my brows with Rimmel's brow pencil in Hazel. I find it a bit too red toned so filled in any gaps with Revolution Focus and Fix brow quad in Medium Dark using the lightest shade.

Now to the fun part of the eyeshadows! I used Limit, a light matte and very blendable shade all over the lid, with Nooner in the outer corner and blended into the crease. Lastly, I deepened the outer V with Darkside and highlighted the inner corners and the brow bone with Strange. I chose to not use any eyeliner, instead finishing off my eyes with lashing of Collection 2000 Calorie Mascara, my favourite of all time!

Lips

The look was finished with one of my favourite lip products from the high street - Maybelline Color Drama lip pencil in Keep It Classy. The formula is long lasting, smooth and highly pigmented and just such a great product all round. Read more of my review of another colour here.

Do you have a favourite eye shadow palette? xxx

Review: Sleek | Face Form Contour & Blush Palette | 'Light'

Sleek MakeUP - Face Form Contour & Blush Palette - Light - £10

The other evening I was organising my photos - does anyone else have multiple digital albums which are all a bit of a mess? Anyway, I came across loads of photos I had taken for the blog from ages ago which I had kind of forgotten about. One set of these pictures was on this lovely palette from Sleek that I use at least twice a week and still love as much as I did when I first bought it and have been using it loads recently. So it is high time that I wrote a review on it!

One of the best things about this palette is that it is so travel friendly. You are sorted with a blush, contour/bronzer and highlight that are amazing quality and go with pretty much any look you need - I used this exclusively in Stockholm and didn't feel like I was missing anything. Plus you get a good sized mirror, and the pans are a really good size too. For the price point the quality of these powders are so good - really highly pigmented, easy to blend and no chalkiness in sight.

The bronzer is great for contouring as it is matte and more on the cool side, although you do need to make sure you blend it properly as it is very pigmented. The highlighter I wasn't sure on at the beginning, but applied with a denser brush like the Real Techniques contour brush, it looks so beautiful across the cheekbones and centre of the face. It gives a lovely glow without being glittery or really obvious. Lastly the blush is a fantastic dupe for Nars Orgasm and again is just as pigmented as the rest of the palette and lasts all day without needing a touch up.

The only thing to keep in mind if you have acne prone skin is that it does contain talc so if you have acne prone skin this may aggravate it.

There is also 4 different shades for varying skin tones from Light to Dark - so a palette for everyone! you can purchase this palette in Boots or Superdrug.

What is your favourite product from Sleek? xxx

January Favourites | 2015

Everyone always says they hate January as the weather is crap, Christmas is gone etc... but I actually love January! Not only is it my birthday month but I love winter and the prospect of what a new year can bring. On that positive vibe, I have been loving so many products this month - some new which I got for Christmas and others that I rediscovered after shopping my stash.

Makeup

001. Eco Tools Angled Eyeliner Brush: Last year I did a review on the set this brush came in but this was one of my least used in the collection. However, I've been favouring lining my eyes with black eyeshadow rather than liquid liner or pencil as it is less harsh and this brush makes it super easy to get a thin even line close to your lashes.

002. The Body Shop Clementine Lip Balm: Years ago back in school I was obsessed with the Body Shop lip balms and butters. I forgot about them but then received the lollipop gift set from my secret santa at work and fell in love with them again. The formula is so nourishing and glossy, the scents divine and they are great for popping in your hand bag. The Clementine scent brings back school memories and has glitter running through it to add a bit of your shimmer to your lips.

003. Benefit Hervana Blush: Again, Benefit blushes bring back memories of my youth and were one of the first make up products I bought. I love the packaging (although its not great for travel) and the recent addition of a tapered brush and mirror in the box is a great bonus. This blush is so pretty both in the pan and on the cheeks and I've been using it every day this month - you can see it in action here.

004. Urban Decay Naked 2 Palette: The original Naked will always have a special place in my heart but I have been itching to add to my UD collection and was delighted to get this for Christmas. It is the more cool toned sister of the original and I adore every single shade in there. The formulation is buttery, super pigmented and easy to blend - just what you would expect from the brand. It's perfect for all kinds of looks and again I've been using this practically every day this month.

005. Anastasia Beverley Hills Brow Wiz in 'Taupe/Ash Brown': This product deserves every accolade it has as it is seriously the best brow product I have ever used! It is the perfect texture and colour -  I will be doing a full review of this but basically you need this in your life.

006. The Body Shop BB Cream in 01: Full review can be seen here so I don't want to go into too much detail! This is my favourite BB Cream it gives medium coverage without feeling heavy, covers pores and imperfections and lasts for a very long time.

007. Bobbi Brown Long Wear Foundation in 'Sand 2' : My favourite base for the latter half of January, this gives medium coverage without being cakey, lasts a long time and gives a 'my skin but better' appearance.

008. No 7 Instant Radiance Cream Highlighter: Cream products don't normally tend to be my thing but I adore this highlighter. It gives a beautiful natural sheen that is not glittery in the slightest and blends in wonderfully.

Hair

009. Paul Mitchell Full Circle Leave-In Treatment*: I got this ages ago (at my first event actually) but for some reason reached for other products in the range instead of this thinking it might be too heavy for my hair. This is actually very nourishing without weighing down my hair and I love to use it on occasions when I haven't used a hair mask or deep conditioner. It leaves hair soft and manageable and I've seen my natural waves/loose curls become more defined.

010. Schwarzkopf Hair Therapy Oil Miracle Spray: This product is a surprise gem. I received it in my stocking at Christmas which was good timing as I was looking for a new spray conditioner to help detangle my hair after washing. This is so light with a fine spray and makes it easy to brush out knots, leaves your hair silky soft and smelling beautiful.

Skincare

011. The Body Shop Eye Camomile Waterproof Eye and Lip Makeup Remover: My favourites always seem to include multiple Body Shop products at the moment, so apologies for that but clearly I am a big fan! I enjoyed the cleansing butter from this range and have just used up the oil so naturally when looking for a make up remover I picked this up. It has two parts so you need to shake it properly and it is oil based so makes removal a breeze, although it doesn't leave the eye area feeling heavy or greasy which is a big plus for me.

012. Super Facialist by Una Brennan Anti Blemish Pore Purifying Clay Mask: Una Brennan are definitely a brand that don't get enough recognition. The quality of the products are so good for the price and this mask in particular is amazing. I loved the teaflower version which I think has been replaced with the salycic acid version. It draws out impurities really well, leaves your skin feeling soft, nourished and more even toned and the inclusion of acid helps to clear up any blemishes that have been hanging around.

0.13 Baby B Browne Tan in 'Medium'*: This featured in a favourites pretty recently at the end of last year but I picked this up again a few weeks ago and was so impressed all over again! It rubs in so easily, the smell is so nice for a fake tan (think vanilla) and the colour develops and lasts so well. It is by far the best tan I own.

What were your favourite items this month? xxx

December Favourites | 2014

While picking up people's Christmas presents, I inevitably picked up a few presents from me to me (hopefully I'm not the only one to do this!) December's round up therefore consist of a few new purchases with one or two re-discovered favourites.

001. Soap & Glory Hand Maid Cleansing Gel - £2.50: This has been raved about by a lot of people, but I always thought how good can an antibacterial gel actually be? Well it turns out, pretty damn good. This sinks in quickly, is compact for your hand bag and the scent is delicious and lingers after application. It also looks cute too! This will be really useful when I start using the tube every day for my new job.

002. L'Oreal EverPure Intense Mask for Coloured Hair - £7.30: If you read my previous post you would see that I want to use more natural products when looking after my hair. I bought this back in November and it has proved to me that products free from sulphates do actually work. The main ingredients are rosemary and mint oils which gives the mask a spa like scent. Although the mask is thick it doesn't weigh down my hair at all while still giving me sleek, shiny and soft locks. I would love to try the shampoo and conditioner from this range too after sampling this. It is normally on offer too - currently at Boots for £3.65.

003. The Body Shop 'Glazed Apple' Shower Gel: A new purchase from one of their Christmas ranges along with the matching bubble bath. This smells so good - like apple sweets - without being overly sickly, although it isn't very moisturising. It is quite zingy so great for cold winter mornings when you need a pick me up and the scent is also uni-sex so great for sharing with Matt. I like the bright green of the gel too and the sleeker packaging than the original shower gel line up.

004. Lush 'Hot Toddy' Shower Gel: Another shower gel that I just couldn't resist! The Christmas products from Lush are always amazing and this is a refreshing change from Snow Fairy. The gel is bright red with flecks of glitter, so very festive, and the smell is amazing. It honestly smells like mulled wine and the scent is super strong and lingers like you would expect from a Lush product. I wish I had got a larger bottle because I will be really sad when this is over.

005. L'Oreal True Match Foundation in 'W1 Golden Ivory' - £9.99: This gives a light to medium coverage which is moisturising without being oily and blends out so well so it looks like your skin but better. I also found that it was quite luminous too and didn't sit flat on your face and was easily buildable for more coverage. I did find that my t-zone did get shiny more quicker but it is quite long wearing and great for evening wear.

006. Maybelline Colour Drama Lip Pencil in 'Berry Much' - £4.99: I'm planning on putting up a detailed review of this in the next week or so, but basically this is the perfect lip product for the colder months. The colour and pigmentation is gorgeous, as is the wear time and ease of use. A really great product which I will surely be getting in more colours.

007. Bobbi Brown 'Sand' Palette from the L.E. Surf and Sand Collection - £48: First of all, this palette just looks gorgeous. The packaging is weighty and great for travel and the pans of eye shadow are good sizes. The colour selection is fantastic, with a mixture of matte and glitter golden neutral shades that can create a variety of looks. A few of the lighter shimmer shades were a little disappointing with not a lot of colour pay off, but over all I love this palette for day and evening looks. Although it is a lot of money for a palette, I think the shades and amount  you get in the palette make it worth while. I've been reaching for this most days of December.

008. Molecule 01 Perfume by Escentric Molecules - £65.50: The scent of this is so different to anything else I own or would normally pick up. I got this for Christmas about two years ago and think its perfect for this time of year. In essence, the USP of this perfume is that it smells different on everyone by working with your skin's chemistry and is great to layer up with other fragrances. I'm not sure if the first claim is true as I have smelt it on other people and have known exactly what it is. However, the claim that everyone will want to know what you're wearing is valid. I always have compliments when I wear this scent and have convinced quite a few people to buy it! Reported fans of this fragrance are Kate Moss and Daisy Lowe which is always a good endorsement and it is very long wearing to boot.

009. YSL Parisienne Eau De Parfum - £47 for 30ml: Another perfume I have been enjoying this month and that works well with Molecule 01. It is a deep floral scent which is rather long lasting and always brings back good memories for me as I received it for my 21st birthday.

What are your current favourite products? xxx

November Favourites | 2014 |

Ideally this post would have been in video format due to the fact I have so many favourite products this month, but alas there has been no time in between unpacking the new house, preparing for Christmas and having a full time job. There has been a distinct lack of favourites posts on this blog for a while which is a shame as they are one of my favourite things to write about - who doesn't love harping on about their latest beauty obsession? Now I have a nice little list on my phone of what I've been loving, hopefully it will give you some ideas for Christmas presents for others (or yourself!)

001. Maybelline Brow Drama in 'Medium Brown': For someone who doesn't have much in the eyebrow department, I have really been enjoying this product since I bought it a few months ago. It's great for use on it's own on natural make up days or for using on top of pencil/powder when opting for a more polished look. The colour is a little dark and it can go a teeny bit crispy, so be sure to use sparingly. It is such a beauty bargain though and is now a staple in my every day beauty bag.

002. Real Techniques Beauty Blender: Since purchasing this I have used it every day without fail. My favourite use is for blending in my under eye concealer as it stops that area looking cakey or dry as well as minimising creasing. It looks really natural and means I haven't had to set my eye area either. It is a super cheap alternative to the Beauty Blender and is the best compared to the other ones I've tried.

003. Lush Mask of Magnaminty: The fresh face masks have always left me a little disappointed, but this mask in particular has always intrigued me with it's positive reviews. I must say, it is the best mask I have used from Lush and has actually made it into my all time favourite face masks! You get a large pot, which is freshly made but does not go off anywhere near as quick as the fresh masks and it really does work. I find this is great for both drawing out impurities as it dries quite hard but also for treating any active blemishes. In the morning after using this my spots have gone down considerably and my face feels refreshed, smooth and a lot clearer.

004. Rimmel Lip Products: This month I've discovered my love for Rimmel lipsticks. For some reason I never seem to reach for them that often even though they are such a good bargain with great formulas and amazing colour pay off. The deep pink called 'Lily Extase' is one I've had since the beginning of uni and I forgot how pretty the hue is as well as the lasting power. I've also been pairing 'Vintage Pink' which is a deep mauve and 'Black Tulip' lip liner which look so lovely together and make a long lasting but moistursing lip duo. The lip liners and Moisture Renew collection are some of my favourites from Rimmel and I will definitely be investing in some more colours.

005. Revlon Colour Stay Foundation in '110 Ivory' and Estee Lauder Double Wear Foundation in '1C1 Shell 15' : As I mentioned my skin has been suffering as of late so to cover those imperfections and scarring I've been opting for heavier coverage foundations. I love that both of these last a full working day - considering I put my face on at 7am and it is still pretty much in tact by 7pm in the evening I'd say it has amazing wear time. Mixed with a little bit of liquid highlighter and buffed in well, these give flawless coverage without being cakey and heavy. Out of the two Double Wear is my favourite because the satin finish really does look like skin but Colour Stay is an amazing high street dupe if you are looking for something more affordable.

006. St Ives Invigorating Body Scrub*: When thinking about this brand I've never really considered their body products but this scrub has fast turned into one of my favourites. The pot is generously filled and it has just the right amount of abrasiveness while being cushioned with a soft and creamy formula. It leaves your skin feeling super smooth and soft without feeling raw.

007. Estee Lauder Advanced Night Repair: This serum is a staple in my nightly skin care routine which I use around 3-4 times a week. It is great at hydrating the skin, correcting pigmentation left from blemishes and  evening skin tone. I am careful not to use it every night as otherwise it can be a bit too heavy for me but used properly and the benefits are fantastic. I'm nearly at the end of this bottle now but it has lasted me ages and I will definitely be purchasing the new version when I have run out.

008. MaxFactor Masterpiece Transform Mascara in 'BLack': When it comes to mascara, MaxFactor just seem to own it! I didn't think my beloved 2000 calorie mascara could be rivaled but after trying the newest release from MaxFactor I must say it has turned into one of my favourites. After a few weeks of use I have found it tends to flake a little towards the end of the day and it doesn't give as much volume as 2000 calorie but it gives wonderfully long, black lashes that don't clump while giving a false lash effect.

009. Soap and Glory Lid Stuff Neutral Eyeshadow Quad: This little quad is such an underrated gem of the drugstore. For £10 you get amazingly pigmented and long lasting eye shadows, it is amazing for travel and you can get a variety of looks out of it. I've been using it for over a year now and have just never got round to doing a review. My favourite shade is 'Pink T', which is perfect for an every day eye and 'Aubersheen' looks amazing as an easy all over the lid smokey eye shade. The highlighter is also non chalky and perfect for day and night.

Miscellaneous

Tartan scarf from Miss Selfridge: perfect pattern and colour and really large and soft -  so cozy!

Fleur De Force vlogs: In particular I have been loving Fleur's vlogmas. She is so down to earth and I envy how much she can pack into one day!

Ru Paul's Drag Race: Ever since we got Netflix this has been such a guilty pleasure to watch when I'm getting ready in the morning. If you love ANTM then you will love this.

George Ezra: His album is so catchy and mellow, it has been on repeat on my Spotify this month.

Salted Caramel Tea: I'm not a fan of plain green tea but this novelty twist is delicious without being overpowering. If you are into herbal teas then you should give this a go!

What have you been loving recently? xxx

The Weekend Face #1

As you may or may not know, Matt and I met at Uni but he has since graduated and got a big boy job in London, meaning our relationship has gone from seeing each other every day to every weekend. We are quite lucky its not too far to travel, however I am an appalling packer and find it virtually impossible to pack light. I've been making a conscious effort therefore to try and squeeze down my make up bag for the weekend and plan ahead (although I am still terrible at this!) Among making my case a little lighter (the amount of skincare I take is not ok) trying to condense my make up bag has lead to me using well loved things I had forgotten about again and mixing up my make up routine. So I thought it might be interesting to show you what I take as a mini series on the weekends I go down to visit, but leaving out the standard staples as that would get boring!

Lets start with the base. I chose Healthy Mix as it gives light to medium coverage, which is buildable and also helps to perk up and hydrate my skin in this horrible weather (review soon) with the usual culprits of Benefit's Erasepaste for under eyes and Collection's Lasting Perfection Concealer for any redness or blemishes. My new powder of choice - Rimmel's Stay Matte - was put to the test to set my foundation and keep oil at bay, but I'm not seeing much difference between this and my previous 17 Miracle Matte powder. Finally a dusting of 'London' from my Fashionista palette (amazing for travel) along my cheekbones combined a blush and highlight in one.

For my eyes, I chose to go for a natural look and began by lining the waterline with Rimmel's Scandaleyes Waterproof Kohl in 'Nude' and swept 'Naked' from my Urban Decay Naked palette all over the lid. This palette is amazing for travel as it has shades for every occasion so I take it with me everywhere as you can probably see from the battered packaging! I took 'Virgin' also from this palette as my brow highlight and used Bourjois Intuitive eyeliner to deepen my lash line - still not too sure on this one but a review will be coming soon. Lastly, lashings of my two favourite mascaras completed this look. 

For lips I took two lipsticks - Kate Moss for Rimmel 107, an amazing deep red which I have been obsessed with recently and wear for both the evening or day and Barry M lip paint in '101' - a milky nude shade. As my eyes were pared down I either went for a bright pop of red or combined both of these together in the style of Lisa Eldridge to brighten up 101 which can be a bit dead by itself.

Hope you all had a lovely weekend! Let me know what you think of these products xxx

Review: FashionistA Blush Palette

L-R: (top) Juicy Apricot - Blushing Coral // (bottom) London - Rose Shine

L-R: Blushing Coral - Juicy Apricot

L-R: London - Rose Shine

£5 for the Palette // Blush £4 each

I love the idea of creating my own palette and the choice of a red or black one from FashionistA seemed a great place to start. I already have a number of eyeshadow palettes and because of my love affair with blushers recently I thought the best quad to get would be full of some new blushers, although you can mix and match with bronzers, blushers and eyeshadows. You can buy the shades individually or buy a palette and 4 shades to fill it at a discount price (I think around £10-15 for all of them together).

I chose the colour red as it is a bit different and looks quite smart. The actual quad is very sturdy and sleek with a large mirror making it perfect for on the go. The individual blushes come in sleek black containers which you can use individually or pop them out to fit into your palette. I chose the colours Juicy Apricot, Rose Shine, London and Blushing Coral.

All the blushes I chose are very pigmented so a light hand is needed but this pigmentation also means a little goes a long way and therefore the product will last longer. They are also prone to fall out but this didn't bother me too much. I found each shade very long wearing, although I never really have a problem with blushes fading in the first place.

I think my favourite out of the blushes have to be the two peachier shades as I didn't have anything similar in my collection before. Juicy Apricot is a bright peachy shade with gold flecks in it but these don't translate onto the skin like a disco ball, instead it just gives a lovely glow. London is the prettiest out of them all consisting of a shimmering peachy base with veins of pink running through. Both of these have been reached for a lot on days when I want to perk up my complexion in a not so obvious way. Blushing Coral is a very dark pink which I reach for more on nights out as it is quite a bright colour. As you can see from the pictures I managed to make a big dent in it with my nail before I'd even used it when putting it into the palette - so annoying!  This blush is very easy to over apply due to being so pigmented, however a light dusting along the cheek bones can really pull a look together. Lastly is Rose Shine, which I wore in a recent outfit post. It gives a lovely soft pink matte glow to your cheeks which would look really pretty on the apples as well as cheek bones and gives a wind bitten flush to your face.

I think this quad is great value for beginners to fill up with what they would like to experiment with. It is great for travel and versatile due to being suitable for eye shadows, bronzers and blushes and the fact you can switch the items in the palette and replace with new ones depending on your mood or the occasion. The quality of the blushes are great considering how cheap they are and I recommend you all pop down to Superdrug and give them a go! 

What would you fill up your quad with? Do you have any other recommendations for do it yourself palettes? xxx

Review: So Susan Wide Awake Palette

RRP £15 from Jelly Pong Pong

You might have already read my review of the So Susan Lip Cushion which I got along with this palette in a recent Jolie Box. If you have then you would know that I found it really difficult to find information on this particular brand and finally found out that both products are originally by Jelly Pong Pong. The only difference as far as I can see is that the brand's name has changed, as even the packaging is identical. You would also know that I thought the Lip Cushion was rubbish and not worth the money, although I had high hopes for it in the beginning. To cut a long story short, my relationship with this palette is pretty much the same.

When I first received it I thought it was such a generous size for a beauty subscription box and I liked the packaging. It is a thin girly palette which encases a good few products which a multitude of uses making it great for travel... or not as the eyebrow colours smashed ridiculously easily, ruining the other cream products leading me to chuck it in the bin. The kit includes an illuminating cream to hide dark circles, a highlighting cream for your cheeks and brow bones, 3 brow colours and a set of tweezers and a brow brush. All in all my first impressions were great of this product and I was excited to try it out.

Let's start with the tools. The tweezers were useless and the brush looked more like a cheap lip brush rather than one for defining your brows, so in my eyes they were redundant from the beginning. The brow colours were really limited too because two out of the three were glittery... does anyone really go for the glittery eyebrow look? If so, I would like to meet them. Luckily the middle matte colour wasn't too far off a natural colour for my eyebrows and I used it a few times to shape mine naturally and thought the staying power was quite good. However, like I previously said they all smashed after a few uses (and I was being careful with it) so the one redeeming product was gone. The highlighter cream was a difficult texture to work with as the consistency and colour was more of a thick concealer rather than a natural highlight. I tried using this by warming it up loads with my fingers to make it more pliable and with a stippling brush but neither seemed to work well and I ended up rubbing off my base. Lastly we come to the illuminating cream. This wasn't too bad although you definitely would need to use a concealer with it, it did manage to lighten the area slightly and was one of the better products in the palette. 

Overall, I think it is fairly obvious I wasn't impressed with this AT ALL and how it is retailing for £15 is beyond me. Both products from this company seem to be made for children as the quality is comparable to the cheap make up you buy from Claire's. I personally feel you can get much cheaper products from drugstore brands such as Collection, 17 and MUA with much greater quality. Its great that the company are cruelty free and have 'Green commitment' but when a product just isn't up to scratch these features become redundant to me.

Do you think I am being too harsh? Do you think this product deserves it's price tag? xxx