Friday 29 April 2016

My April Favourites

If I'm honest, I did not have the best April, so I'm quite glad to be moving into May. I'm actually going on holiday next week, so I'm going to be taking a brief break - I'll be back blogging on May 9th. Before I go though, I have one important post to share with you all, my April Favourites! I actually tried a lot of fabulous makeup last month, I had lots of amazing Sephora goodies arrive, plus lots of other Spring makeup. It it was hard to narrow it down, but here are the three things I've been loving this month. 



Fleur de Figuier Eau de Parfum
I actually took this Fleur de Figuier perfume on our American tour last year, so not only did I finish up the bottle, but every time I spritz it, it's full of amazing summertime memories. It's literally my favourite perfume and it holy grail status in my collection, I simply cannot be without it. I've definitely made no secret of my Roger & Gallet love in the the past, as the Fleur de Figuier scent literally takes over my house. I have it all from the the Fragrant Water, to the moisturiser, to the hand cream and I love everything. Inside the fragrance we have a combination of; Fig Pulp, Mandarin, Pink Peppercorn, Patchouli, Musk, Fig Accord and Violet Wood. It's deliciously sweet and it's really fruity. However, it's all underpinned with a floral, musky finish. For me, it's literally my perfect scent, it's everything I look for in a perfume, especially in the Spring.

Even if you're not a highlighter fanatic, I don't think you can deny that the Glow Kits from ABH are swoon-worthy. There are two shades of the Glow Kit, but I oped for the shade 'Gleam' as it's the one designed for lighter skin tones. The palette includes four different metallic powder highlighters, capable of creating intense luminosity. The shades inside the Gleam palette include; Mimosa (a golden peach shade), Hard Candy (a peach shade with a pink pearl finish), Starburst (a iridescent cool pink) and Crushed Pearl (a glimmering pink and silver with a chrome finish). The formula of each highlighter is really lovely. They are designed to be used both wet and dry, offering you the opportunity to really step up the pigmentation. The powders are finely-milled and they are actually to designed to work well as eyeshadows.

I naturally have quite long lashes, what I really lack is the oomph and a definition. Despite my brunette locks, I lack the dark lashes to match. So I ultimately look for a mascara that will give me lots of dramatic definition and a jet black colour. The Ultra Volume Mascara is all about the brush, which is Revlon's Lash Plumping Brush. The brush has triple grooves which allows the brush to hold lots of formula. The brush has a combination of both short and long bristles, which stops the mascara being clumpy. The brush is large and beefy, which means you can really coat your lashes in a lot of product. Easily applying two coats without getting your lashes in a complete mess.

What were your favourite products this month? I'd love to hear about them in the comments! 
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Thursday 28 April 2016

Thursday Tittle-Tattle #40

'Thursday Tittle Tattle', is a Hope, Freedom, Love blog series that has quickly become home to some of my popular posts. The series is dedicated to breaking news of the beauty world. From time-to-time, Thursday’s blog post will be dedicated to news featuring; beauty and lifestyle news, events, discounts, and even a bit of fashion news thrown in too! This is my favourite time of year in the beauty world, as the focus has moved to spring. This week we’re talking about some high end beauty releases and some very fancy summer makeup items. Keep reading for the latest beauty news that has caught my eye this week.




NARS Summer 2016
When a NARS collection drops I'm always on the edge of my seat, as it always has be hot under the collar. The Summer 2016 Colour Collection is no different and it comes packed with beautiful new products in very swish packaging. The collection was a collaboration between François Nars’ and contemporary artist Konstantin Kakanias. The products are packaged in the famous black matte compacts, but the artist bought the products to life with gorgeous illustrations. The new lineup includes 'Lip Cover' in the shades; Overheated, Do Not Disturb, Get Dirty and Members Only. There is also four new shades of the Dual-Intensity Eyeshadow in; Deep End, Tan Lines, Topless and Pool Shark. Plus two new shades of the Dual-Intensity Blush, in the shades Liberation and Sexual Content.

Exciting news from Rodial 
Kim Kardashian recently featured lovely Rodial products in her 5 Minute Glam tutorial on the Kim K app. Mario Dedivanovic applies the Rodial Contour Powder on the cheek bones, forehead, nose and eyelids and finishes the look with the Rodial Glamolash Mascara Skinny. They’ve also announced that they have released Also, heads up that we’ve launched a new Banana Powder plus a darker shade of their bestselling contour powder. I’ve recently tried a blusher from Rodial (read my review here) and I was really impressed with the quality and performance, so I’m definitely adding some of these products to my wish list!

If you fancy treating yourself to anything, right now they have a great GWP. Spend £60 or more on makeup and receive a complimentary Pink Diamond Mask Sachet just enter the code DIAMOND at the checkout before Wednesday 11th May.

OPI SoftShades - pastel shades for Spring/Summer
As the classic saying says "April showers bring May flowers" and that's the inspiration for OPIs latest line up. They have six fresh pastel shades, which are just s
oftly shaded but seriously opaque. The colours include a pale lilac, yellow, mint green, creamy white, baby peach and blue. Check the lovely shades out here


The Beauty Workshop Kits at Selfridges 
Selfridges have joined forces with Emma Lomax (one of my favourite makeup bag brands) to create three beautiful 'Beauty Workshop Sports Kits'. Each kit (which you can see here) has a different theme. There is Cardio Queen Essentials, Ultimate Zen Collection and the Swimmers Recovery Kit. Each of the kits has a collection of fabulous beauty items, my favourite is the Swimmers Recovery Kit which includes; Lord & Berry’s Smudge Proof Liner, Eyeko’s Waterproof Mascara, Bumble & Bumble’s Shampoo and conditioner, St.Tropez’s in-shower tanning lotion plus lots of other goodies!

Last few days of French Pharmacy Month at Escentual
French Pharmacy Month is pretty much famous across the bloggersphere but you don't have long left to make the most of it! For the whole of April you can save up to 1/3 on all the popular French Skincare brands. It's a good time to restock your stash or to try something new. If you need some inspiration,you can check out my post on my French Pharmacy Favourites here. If not you can head directly to Escentual French Pharmacy here.

Good Luck Trolls collection from MAC
MAC Cosmetics has announced that they will be launching the Good Luck Trolls collection in September this year. The collection is of course inspired by the Trolls, taking their rainbow hair and lucky charms into consideration. We're told that the range will include bright, crazy hues for the eyes, lips and face.

GIVENCHY Couture Edition Magnolia Collection available at Escentual
Each year GIVENCHY reveals a couture masterstroke of limited edition beauty and this year it's home to the
 GIVENCHY Couture Edition Magnolia. GIVENCHY have created two beauty icons and decorated them in stunning magnolia print packaging. There is a red lipstick named 'Le Rouge Couture Edition in Carmin Escarpin' and a set of four sheer radiance powders called 'Prisme Libre Couture Edition in Mousseline Pastel'. The pieces are strictly available for one season only as collector's pieces and you can get them from Escentual! Check them out here.


The brand new skin deep beauty oil from this works
The new skin deep beauty oil is designed to be applied to your pulse points for a fragrance and mood-boost. You can also use it on dry skin on the body for on-the-go hydration. It's a highly concentrated body oil, which aims to nourish dry skin and elevate your mood anytime. The oil includes Rose Absolute, Jasmine and Bergamot and offers a glossy skin finish. It retails for £20 and you can check it out here.
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Wednesday 27 April 2016

The Strawberry Swirl Kit from Laura Geller

If you don't know much about Laura Geller, I strongly recommend you getting acquainted. Everything I've tried from the brand has always left me feeling impressed, the products ooze quality and sophisticated. Laura Geller says that she always had a love affair with beauty, which led her to become a make-up artist and launch her own makeup range on QVC over 20 years ago. My favourite thing from Laura Geller is the constant stream of beautiful sets and gifts that become available.





The latest kit to land in my lap is the Laura Geller Strawberry Swirl Collection*, which is just PERFECT for this time of year. It arrives in the most gorgeous box, which looks and feels luxury. It's a set designed to satisfy the sweet tooth, giving you everything you need to create a sweet summer look. I have to be honest, I literally love everything in this kit and I've really enjoyed sitting at my dressing table applying it all so delicately. 

The Laura Geller Strawberry Swirl Collection has six items which aim to give you flawless skin, which a touch of radiance. The first thing in the box is the Baked Balance-N-Brighten Color Correcting Foundation, the starting point for your new look. Like a lot of Laura Geller's products, this foundation is baked and is designed to perfect to a flawless finish. What I love about it is that it adds some real coverage, without being too cakey but whilst still adding a real glow. I personally couldn't wear this without another foundation, but I love using it as a powder. I already have the Baked Gelato Vivid Swirl Blush in 'Rosewater', but I'm really happy to have a second in my collection. This blusher looks so pretty in the pan, it's type of thing that dreams are made of. The Baked Gelato Blush, has a beautiful cream-to powder formula which adds pigmentation and a beautiful glow to your cheeks. 

I recently reviewed the Baked Color Intense Shadow Duo in Dolce/Raisin, so I was really glad to see another duo in Candy/Fig in the Strawberry Swirl collection. It is perfect for me right now, as I am literally obsessed with purple eyeshadows. This honestly gives me the perfect duo for my handbag, the eyeshadow is really pigmented and it soothes the eyelids as it's enriched with jojoba oil. The Glamlash Dramatic Volume Mascara is next in the box and it's a "do it all mascara". It comes in black and it aims to add volume and length, whilst separating and thickening every lash. 

You can finish the whole look with the Colour Luster Lip Gloss, which comes in the shade Strawberry Crème. I love that these kits always contain lip gloss, as I'm just not a lipstick fan. It's really lightweight and moisturising, but it adds a decent amount of pigmentation, whilst giving you that shiny finish. You even get the Double-Ended Blush & Eyeshadow Brush, which is perfect for applying all the products both at your dressing table and on the go.

You can pick up the Laura Geller Strawberry Swirl Collection right now, it comes in two different shade variations, which gives you the chance to pick the best foundation for you. It retails for £45 and you can buy it from Escentual, Cult Beauty, House of Fraser and lots of other retailers. 




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Tuesday 26 April 2016

Blending Wave Multicolour Blush | The Artist by KIKO

If you happen to be feeling a bit uninspired by makeup, a KIKO order is almost guaranteed to make you feel normal again. Their limited edition collections and products are just so beautiful, you can just tell that so much thought has gone into them. The Artist collection is all about an explosion of colour, bringing bright hues into our makeup collection. KIKO wanted to create makeup which felt like art, creating bubbly, lively and feminine products.







The Artist collection is huge and it's all about providing the right tools for you to tap into your creative side. There's everything you could ever need; from serums, foundations and powders, to highlighters, eyeliners, eyeshadows and lipsticks. There's even a make-up pouch and three new makeup brushes to make application simple and easy.

It took me a while to sort through the collection and pick one thing to buy. In the end I opted for the Blending Wave Multicolour Blush, which really is a thing of beauty. The packaging of The Artist collection actually reflects the theme and the packaging is decorated with colourful paint splashes strokes. It's so simple but it just adds something a lovely twist to the packaging which I just love. The rest of the compact is white, which just flips open to reveal the blusher and a handy mirror. 

Inside the compact there is a stunning two-tone blusher, I opted for the shade 'Creative Peach' which is a blend of a traditional peach shade and a brighter pinky hue. The texture of the blusher is incredibly creamy, it's soft and velvety to the touch. The blusher is also really pigmented, the first time I used it I ended up with doll-like cheeks, luckily it's easy to blend! KIKO say that the powder is designed to cling to the skin, giving you a pigmented natural blusher which lasts all day. 

If it's not already obvious, I'm obsessed with the Blending Wave Multicolour Blush. As always, it far outperforms it's £10.50 price tag, it feels and acts like a stunning highend product. You can pick yours now from the KIKO website and the KIKO stores.




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Monday 25 April 2016

Celebrating Cheekathon Aboard Good Ship Benefit

Boarding the Good Ship Benefit, to celebrate the launch of Cheekathon with the House of Fraser was an offer I just could not refuse. I've been a Benefit fan for a long time and I've been trying to get a date in the diary to visit the boat for a while now. The fabulous team laid on a lovely spread of cake pops and drinks, whilst walking bloggers through the brand new palette in detail.



Cheekathon* is the latest palette to adorn the Benefit shelves, offering five full sized cheek products in one super handy palette. It comes in a pretty compact, finished with Benefit Cosmetic's classic attention to detail. There are four of Benefit's classic blusher shades, paired with the ever so famous Hoola bronzer. You simply lift the lid of the palette to reveal the beauty inside, which includes the handy blusher brush and a pretty mirror.

What I love about this palette is that you can make use of every single shade. The five products include; dandelion, rockateurdallas, CORALista and the aforementioned hoola. The shades were chosen as they will flatter all skintones, offering a pop of colour, bronzer and highlight. Before now I've never tried a blusher from Benefit Cosmetics (I know right? I've been living under a rock) so I've really been enjoying discovering these lovely products. They each have something to give, plus they are really pigmented and easy to blend. I've been loving adding contour with hoola, before adding more definition with dallas, a pop of colour from coralista and finishing with some highlight from rockateur

The Cheekathon palette retails for £45, so you'd be forgiven for thinking that the blushers are sample sizes, but you'd be wrong! In fact, every single product inside the palette is full sized, meaning that you get five cheek products for the price of two! You can pick it up right now here, it's exclusive to House of Fraser!


Boarding the Good Ship Benefit was an experience all by itself! Good Ship Benefit is housed on the R.S. Hispaniola, as soon as you exit Embankment tube station you can spot the pink Benefit signs in the distance. Before you board the boat you pass some giant tubes of they're real mascara and you enter into the pink lobby. On the ground floor there's a shopping area and an opportunity to have the Benefit Cosmetics famous brow treatment. There is also a lovely bar, a pink piano and a area where you can tuck into some afternoon tea. If that isn't enough, you can pop upstairs to the Latitude Restaurant and chill outside on Hoola Decks with a drink, with views of the London Eye and the River Thames. Finally on the lower deck there's a fabulous The Porefessional Vault, with it's very own bar. It's open for five months, so there is plenty of time to pay the boat a visit!  

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Friday 22 April 2016

My Little Flower Book | My Little Box April

I love when My Little Box send us something completely different! This pretty box sent waves of excitement around the office as I opened my package at work. The My Little Flower 'Book' is all about bring delicate and pretty things to life. 



Inside the box there are three beauty items and two pretty lifestyle items, which are completely different to anything we've had in the box before. Lets start with the beauty items - this months My Little Beauty item is the Detoxifying Mask, worth £11. Then we have the Pivoine Shower Gel from L'Occitane, a brand which features quite regularly in My Little Box. This is a cute travel sized bottle of shower gel, which transforms into a light foam when wet. It has a green floral scent, which is inspired by a blooming peony - the formula even includes Peony Extract. The last beauty item is a full sized Nails Inc nail polish, in a lovely purple hue (my favourite)!

Moving on to the lifestyle items we have a travel pouch, which was created in collaboration with Balzac Paris. It's designed to enable you to carry your delicate lingerie when you're traveling. I'm not sure I have any undergarments that require a pouch like this, but I'm sure I can find an alternative use for it! Last but not least we have a window garden, which I think is so cute! All you have to do is wet the foam, sprinkle the seeds and wait for your pretty garden to grow - what a lovely idea.



My Little Box is a subscription service costing £11 a month, plus £3.95 P&P. It's my favourite subscription box of all time and I highly recommend grabbing a subscription! Check out the website here: mylittlebox.co.uk


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Thursday 21 April 2016

Thursday Tittle-Tattle #39

'Thursday Tittle Tattle', is a Hope, Freedom, Love blog series that has quickly become home to some of my popular posts. The series is dedicated to breaking news of the beauty world. From time-to-time, Thursday’s blog post will be dedicated to news featuring; beauty and lifestyle news, events, discounts, and even a bit of fashion news thrown in too! This is my favourite time of year in the beauty world, as the focus has moved to spring. This week we’re talking about some exciting celebrity collaborations and new skincare releases. Keep reading for the latest beauty news that has caught my eye this week.




Victoria Beckham For Estée Lauder
Late last week Estée Lauder announced their new partnership with Spice Girl turned fashion designer, Victoria Beckham. Their limited edition make-up collection will launch in September all around the world. It will be stocked in Victoria Beckham, esteelauder.co.uk and victoriabeckham.com.

Black Pine Advanced Firming, Nourishing & Anti-Wrinkle Active Oil from KORRES
If you're looking for a new oil for your skincare routine, you might be interested in this new release from KORRES. The new Active Oil combines natural oils with the active ingredients of Black Pine. KORRES say that the new oil offers "visible firming, deep wrinkles reducing, skin density restoring and natural brightening". It's a powerful firming treatment with the exceptional moisturising benefits. The KORRES Black Pine Advanced Firming, Nourishing & Anti-wrinkle Active Oil is available now for £45. You can buy it here at John Lewis


Save 30% off your first Glossybox
Throughout the whole of April, customers can continue to enjoy 30% off their first box under any subscription plan using the code APRILSALE30. Visit the GLOSSYBOX website before 30th April 2016. The April 'Spring Preening' box has actually sold out, but the 'Starter Kit' boxes are now available which include five gorgeous beauty products! Sign up to Glossybox here.

Illamasqua joins Look Fantastic
Look Fantastic are excited to announce the latest addition to their beauty line-up. You can now pre-order products from British brand Illamasqua. It's now available to order online here.

Violette & Rose de Mai from L’Occitane
To celebrate L’Occitane’s 40th Birthday and 40 years of flower power, L’Occitane have created a limited edition scent called Violette & Rose de Mai. The fragrance tells the romance of Violet and May rose with fruity and zesty notes of bergamot and mandarin, with base notes of musks and sandalwood. Check it out here

FOREO announces LUNA play
The LUNA play is now the smallest offering from FOREO, offering the chance for clear, healthy skin in an ultra-portable device. The device is tiny - it will fit easily into your travel kit and offers up to 100 uses. LUNA Play uses the technology from LUNA mini 2, with the signature silicone touch points. FOREO’s LUNA play retails for £29 and you can buy it here.

Disney Collection at Sephora
Disney fans REJOICE! Disney and Sephora have collaborated to create a makeup line inspired by "Minnie’s unique blend of spirited confidence and timeless chic". It's a limited edition collection in the SEPHORA COLLECTION, offering "long-wear formulas and covetable accessories".  This collection could have easily been way too tacky, but I honestly think it's very sweet! The collection includes; Minnie's Aren’t You Gorgeous Handheld Mirror, Minnie-ature Cream Lip Stain Set, Minnie's Black & White Felt Eyeliner Duo, Brush up on Glamour - Minnie's Beauty Tools, Minnie's Inner Glow Luminizing Blush, Perfect Red Lipstick, Reflection of Minnie Compact Mirror and the Minnie's World in Color Eyeshadow Palette. Check out the whole range here.

NEW NIVEA Protect & Care Anti-Perspirant
If you're a fan of the iconic NIVEA Creme, you’ll love the latest edition to NIVEA’s deodorant line-up. The new NIVEA Protect & Care Anti-Perspirant is formulated with the ingredients and scent of the iconic NIVEA Creme, it provides ultimate protection and care for your underarms! The Anti-Perspirant is designed to be strong on sweat, without irritating our underarms. The best bit is that it is available as a spray, roll-on and stick, you can check out the full range here.


Save 20% at DECIEM
As many of you will know DECIEM is one of my favourite beauty brands! They've just announced that they are offering 20% off ALL DECIEM brands this April, including the best selling Hylamide and award winning Hand Chemistry. Just enter the code SPRING2016 at the checkout! Shop online here, if you need some inspiration why not check out some of my DECIEM reviews here

French Pharmacy Month is back at Escentual
French Pharmacy Month is pretty much famous across the bloggersphere, so I know lots of people will be excited that the promotion is back! For the whole of April you can save up to 1/3 on all the popular French Skincare brands. It's a good time to restock your stash or to try something new. If you need some inspiration,you can check out my post on my French Pharmacy Favourites here. If not you can head directly to EscentualFrench Pharmacy here
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Wednesday 20 April 2016

Look Fantastic's Natural Spring Essentials | #LFBlooms

Every month online retailer Look Fantastic releases a monthly beauty box, each with a special theme and packed with goodies to try. This month it's all about the #LFBlooms* box which has been created to celebrate Earth Month. It's all about creating beauty with a difference, so the products that have been selected are natural, organic and eco friendly. All month long Look Fantastic are applauding the products that offer a natural (but still beautiful experience) and they took the chance to share their favourites with me!






First up we have the Calendula Redness Rescue Restorative Serum* by Jurlique (what a name!). The Calendula range from Jurlique is designed for sensitive skin, formulaed without chemicals or irritants. It’s just packaged with natural ingredients that calm, soothe, and restore moisture to the skin. Jurlique say that this serum is really powerful, but still very gentle on the skin. It’s packed with calendula extract, which helps to soothe sensitive areas of the skin and help build up the natural defences in the skin. It also includes prickly pear extract, which is designed to help build up our natural protective barriers. It’s created with all natural ingredients, and doesn’t use parabens, sulfates or phthalates. It is also made without artificial colors or fragrances.






It’s really important to try and avoid tugging or pulling at our eyes, as it really speeds up the ageing process, encouraging wrinkles. Which is why it’s really important to find a good eye makeup remover, which can just dissolve eye makeup quickly and effortlessly. Gatineau's Gentle Eye Make-Up Remover* is really simple to use; you just pour some onto two cotton pads and place them over your eyes. You only have to leave them there for 10-15 seconds and then wipe them away from the eye. The remover then erases all traces of make-up, without leaving your eyes feeling dry and sore. They just feel really smooth and hydrated, without feeling greasy or puffy. You can also put the Gentle Eye Make Up Remover in the fridge so that it feels cooling on the skin, which I love!





I’m a big fan of the original Wonder Eye Cream from Balance Me, so when I saw the Tinted Wonder Eye Cream* I was really intrigued. The Tinted Wonder Eye Cream combines the formula of the Wonder Eye Cream with a colour tint, to give you some extra coverage. It’s a great way of enhancing your skincare, joining together makeup and great ingredients – much like they’ve done with their lip balm range. The eye cream is a 99% natural formula and Balance Me say that the cream eradicates fine lines and blurs away dark circles. Whilst I can’t test the product on fine lines, it definitely does a great job at hiding dark circles. It also leaves your eyes feeling hydrated and fresh, which is great in warmer weather. The ingredients include Cucumber Seed Oil, Rosehip Oil and Arctic Cloudberry Seed Extract.

I’m quite ashamed to say that I don’t go out of my way to test natural and organic products (I know), but I’ve really enjoyed testing these three beauties! I’d love to hear your thoughts on these if you’ve tried them and I’d love to hear about your natural product suggestions!
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Tuesday 19 April 2016

Coconut Infusion from Barry M

Lets be honest now, my coconut addiction really needs no encouragement - in fact it's a little bit out of control. So when I spotted the new Coconut Infusion line from Barry M, I was pretty damn excited. I hotfooted it onto the Superdrug website and I ordered three of my favourite shades to road test.



Coconut Infusion Nail Paint is an brand new, innovative formulation from Barry M. The lineup includes nine shades in total, offering everything from nude shades to bright pinks. The formulation blends Coconut Water and Coconut Oil together, which creates a polish which hydrates and nourishes the nails. Inside the polish there is also a lot of other goodness, including Vitamins B & C which offer anti-oxidising properties and strength to your nails. 

Pictured above we have Aloha (a pretty pink), Bikini (which is a beautiful mint green) and Laguna (a stunning purple/blue). If I'm honest these three colour hues make up the most of my 200-strong nail polish collection, I'm obsessed with these shades! On top of these three shades we have Flamingo (a coral hue), Tiki Hut, Sunkissed, Starfish and Skinny Dip (which are all nude hues) and Surfboard (which is a pale pink). 

The Coconut Infusion Nail Paints come packaged in the iconic square Barry M bottles, which have been finished with a bronze lid. They have the standard Barry M brush, which makes for a precise and easy application. As you can probably tell by the swatches, the Coconut Infusion Nail Paint offers a smooth and glossy finish, which is not dissimilar to Barry M's Gelly Manicure line up. 

The Barry M Coconut Infusion Nail Paints are available now for £4.99 from both Boots and Superdrug


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Monday 18 April 2016

A Peek At My Strobing Stash

Strobing first came into forefront of the beauty industry a year ago and it was quickly dubbed to be the 'natural contouring' method. Whereby you ditch the bronzer and make full use of your highlighter. It's all about embracing your dewy skin and creating shine and glitter all in the right places. It's also designed to be a much faster way to contour. Instead of faffing about with two products and a lot of blending, you're just using highlighter. Better yet, more is more! It’s been a year since my last Strobing Edit, so I thought it was time to update you on my latest strobing stash. 







Strobing With Liquid
To add the new strobing trend into your routine, start with a dewy base. The latest addition to my beauty stash is the Brightening CC Serum from By Terry*. This serum was created with strobing in mind and it’s all about introducing strobing to our skincare routine. Adding the strobing glow right at the start of our routine allows it to glow through from the base. I have the shade Rose Elixir that is perfect for rose tones, brightening the skin and hiding signs of fatigue. I've loved using this on the days when I feel a bit tired and need a little lift; the pearlescent finish comes in a formula that feels weightless and soft on the skin.

Now that the warmer weather is on it’s way, I’m also a huge fan of the ESPA Naturally Radiant Tinted Moisturiser, which I've spoken about plenty of times before. This product completely changed my opinion on tinted moisturisers (which used to be my arch enemy). You have to spend a while blending it into your skin, but afterwards it gives you a completely even skintone. It’s buildable, so you can keep adding extra coverage and then I just add a little concealer over blemishes. The best thing is that really leaves your skin GLOWING, it’s beautiful.

Strobing With Cream
The Polka Dots & Moonbeams highlighter from ILIA* combines organic ingredients with Rose Hip Oil (which is packed with healing properties), to create a beautiful highlighter. This highlighter has a really special place in my collection, as it’s very subtle. It just adds a sophisticated dimension to the skin, which makes you look younger.

This highlighter is different formula to all my other products; Topshop's Glow Highlighter comes a very cute glass jar and it's a cream/mousse formulation. What I love about this, is that it's very light and blendable and a little bit goes a long way. It's best to use your fingers and just dab it on all the areas you want the glow. It's a fab option if you're travelling as you don't have to take a brush.

When it comes to strobing, its not all about the base, eye-strobing is also really popular. By Terry have recently released two new shades of the Ombre Blackstar Eyeshadows* especially for Spring 2016. The new shades aim to bring the concept of eye-strobing to life, giving an interesting sparkle to the eye.  The new shades for Spring are both more nude, natural shades. Number 16 is called Nude Milky Way and it’s a stunning ivory cream shade, paired with an opalescent shimmer. Number 17 is called Bubble Glow, which is a lovely marbled pink.



Strobing With Powder
I gave the Anastasia Beverly Hills Illuminator in Riviera my Best Highlighter award in 2015 and my addiction is still going strong. There's no doubt that this product would win all the beauty contests, it's one of the prettiest items in my whole makeup collection. The formula of these is really quite special too, it's very finely milled but there's absolutely no fallout as I swish my brush round in the pan. The highlighter blends into skin effortlessly and it actually has no glitter in it, so you just get the most gorgeous glow! 

The Enlightenment shade from Josie Maran is a champagne hue, which aims to mimic natural light. It is infused with "multicolored luster pigments" which aim to capture and reflect light, which is very similar to the Hourglass range of products. The Enlightenment Illuminizing lineup is enriched with nourishing Argan Oil, which aims to hydrate the skin. The Argan Enlightenment Illuminizing Veil is a traditional powder highlighter, which I use all over the skin wherever I need a little extra glow (on the bridge of my nose and in the corners of my eyes). 

Last but not least, we have the Ambient Lighting Blush in Ethereal Glow, which is guaranteed to make your heart flutter! These blushers from Hourglass are no stranger to the bloggersphere, as they’ve had some major hype. However, the hype and the lovely reviews are 100% justified! Hourglass combined the formula of the famous Ambient Lighting Powders with coloured hues to create 'soft focus' colour. On the cheek it gives you a lovely colour and a beautiful glow.

I’d love to know what you think of strobing; is a trend you’ve been trying or is one you give a miss?
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Sunday 17 April 2016

Contouring On A Budget With Collection

I have to admit that testing new contouring kits is one of my favourite things to do. I’ve very pale and I’m certainly no makeup artist, so if I find a contouring kit easy to use – I know it’s a winner. The Contour Kit from Collection is potentially the cheapest contouring kit I’ve ever tried. It comes in at a tiny (and precise) £4.19, making it a price point that everyone can reach. 





As usual, the Contour Kit is split in two halves, on the left we have a highlighting powder and on the right we have the bronzing powder. The bronzer is very easy to use – it actually reminds me of the Honey Bronzer from The Body Shop. It’s a very pretty colour and it’s very easy to use. It’s not too pigmented, which makes brushing it onto the hollows of your cheeks and your temples very simple. It’s very hard to apply too much, which makes it fantastic for beginners. I’ll be honest, the highlighting side doesn’t look very exciting in the pan, but it actually packs a punch! It’s certainly not as intense as some of my other highlighting products, but for people who are not highlighting addicts, it’s perfect! I’ve seen this highlighter likened to the one that comes in the Sleek Contour Kit and I completely agree. It adds a nice glow to your cheekbones and gently reflects the light.

Now, if you do want to add some more wow factor to your highlighter, you have to try the Speedy Highlighter. This is a stick formula, which makes it really easy to drawn on to all your areas of your face. The best bit is that it provides a highlight that really has the wow factor! It is really pigmented and it adds a pearlescent sheen to the cheekbones. An absolute bargain product when you consider that it only costs £3.99.

If you’re looking for a contouring solution on a budget you have to try this combination, I’m so impressed! 
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Saturday 16 April 2016

The £6 palette without compromise | Girls On Film Makeup Revolution

Makeup Revolution was launched in March 2014 in London, their aim to provide performance and quality in every product, without breaking the bank. When they launched, the brand reminded me of Make Up Academy, which offered disappointing product after disappointing product. The difference is that Makeup Revolution products have never left me feeling disappointed and it's definitely not a compromise between quality and price. Now in 2016 Makeup Revolution have well over 300 products, working incredibly fast to bring out new and interesting products as quickly as they can.







Whenever I ask on Twitter from product recommendations, I universally get the answer 'try the eyeshadow palettes'. I have to say that I'm a huge eyeshadow palette fan, so it takes a lot to impress me. They are products I like to splurge on and I actually rarely buy palettes on the high street. However, after much deliberation, I picked up one of the famous Salvation palettes, in the shade 'Girl On Film'.

It's worth noting that this palette only costs £6, yet it comes boxed and the palette itself is packaged in a strong plastic casing. It feels sturdy and total worthy of chucking in your suitcase when packing for a holiday. There's even a full length mirror which is perfect if you want to put this in a travel makeup bag. The palette is FULL of eyeshadows, in total there are 18 whopping shades; 12 are shimmer shades and six are matte. It's nice to see that matte eyeshadows are becoming more common on the high street, you are no longer faced with only shimmers when you browse in Boots or Superdrug. Each of the 18 shades have been chosen to compliment each other, making it easy for both beauty experts and novices to create an impressive makeup look. 

Remember when I mentioned that Makeup Revolution create products without compromise? Well I'm pleased to say that the shades are all beautifully pigmented and they have very little fallout! Fallout seems to be almost unavoidable on the high street, but Makeup Revolution has found a happy medium. 

I'm honestly very impressed with everything I've tried from Makeup Revolution so far. It's not only a great brand for beginners, but it's also a great brand for beauty junkies. You're not compromising on quality, but you are gaining some great products for your collection. You can shop the Makeup Revolution range on their website, but also at Superdrug online (here) and in stores.
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Friday 15 April 2016

An Introduction to Paul & Joe Beauty | Blushers

Paul & Joe are one of those brands that I've seen a lot on the bloggersphere, loved the look of but never got round to trying. Their approaching to creating makeup is totally unique and they really breathe fun into everything they do. Every item they create is designed with retro chic in mind and it feels luxurious and delicate. They are certainly the type of beauty products every beauty fan would love to have on their dressing table.





Sophie Mechaly, the founder of Paul & Joe wanted the whole brand to have a Parisian feel. She wanted to the products to perfectly convey the Parisian way of life, in particular the idea of enjoying life and valuing every moment. She wanted the Paul & Joe to really bring a sense of happiness to your makeup routine. Formulation wise, the Paul & Joe beauty products are created with two things in mind; creamy moisture and radiance. Their aim is to create that healthy radiance, that looks like the glow is coming from within. The products are designed to be not only creamy to the touch, but also hydrating so they are comfortable to wear all year round. 

The Paul & Joe blushers are created with a 'refill strategy', the blushers are created in a variety of shades and then you can buy your favourite compacts to hold your favourites. It adds a real air of personalisation to your beauty collection - which I love, but it makes it difficult for the indecisive amongst us. Each of the blushers are embossed with either the Paul & Joe logo or a Chrysanthemum, which is the brands motif.  

The Powder Blush is perfect for Springtime! The blush comes in ten different shades, meaning that no matter your taste or your skin tone, you'll find something to suit. The Powder Blush is designed to be a velvety smooth powder, inspired by the multi-dimensional hues of Springtime flowers. The blushers are a dual compact, which means you can blend the two colours to create your custom shade, or you can use the two shades individually. The shades have been designed to give you a highlighting shade and a more contouring shade is each pair, so that you can delicately contour if you wish to. 

My personal favourites include Secret D’or* (shade 01), as it’s a combination of champagne and gold, which is really pretty as a highlighter. Shade 04* is called ‘Cinema’ and it’s a blend of orange and pink to create something brighter. Have you tried anything from Paul & Joe? I'd love some product recommendations about what I should be trying next!
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Thursday 14 April 2016

Thursday Tittle-Tattle #38

'Thursday Tittle Tattle', is a Hope, Freedom, Love blog series that has quickly become home to some of my popular posts. The series is dedicated to breaking news of the beauty world. From time-to-time, Thursday’s blog post will be dedicated to news featuring; beauty and lifestyle news, events, discounts, and even a bit of fashion news thrown in too! This is my favourite time of year in the beauty world, as the focus has moved to spring. This week we’re talking about some summer-worthy makeup releases. Keep reading for the latest beauty news that has caught my eye this week.





Travel-friendly fragrance from Roger & Gallet
Roger & Gallet have announced their launch of the Fragrant Wellbeing Waters. These are new for Spring 2016 and they are a collection of seven different scents. These carry the same formula as the famous Fragrant Water Sprays, but they now come in a handbag-friendly 50ml water. The scents available include; Fleur d’Osmanthus, Gingembre and Fleur de Figuier and they will be available at M&S.

Illamasqua joins Look Fantastic
Look Fantastic are excited to announce the latest addition to their beauty line-up. You can now pre-order products from British brand Illamasqua. Pre order online here.

Coconut Infusion Nail Paint collection from Barry M Cosmetics
I'm pretty damn excited by this new collection from Barry M. The Coconut Infusion Nail Paint collection, 
is an entirely new and innovative formulation. It's a blend of Coconut Water and Coconut Oil, which hydrates and nourishes nails. It also offers smooth, gel-like glossy manicure. The formula is also enriched with anti-oxidising properties and Vitamins B & C, so nails can be repaired and replenished. The nail paints are priced at £4.99 each and they are available at Boots & Superdrug now.

Save 20% at DECIEM
As many of you will know DECIEM is one of my favourite beauty brands! They've just announced that they are offering 20% off ALL DECIEM brands this April, including the best selling Hylamide and award winning Hand Chemistry. Just enter the code SPRING2016 at the checkout! Shop online here, if you need some inspiration why not check out some of my DECIEM reviews here

glō minerals launch Jeweled Eye Pencils
The new Jeweled Eye Pencils from glō minerals aim to provide a "weightless finish with rich, buildable pigment in a creamy formulation". They have been launched in several colours, including warm and cool tones. There is also a fabulous limited edition Jeweled Eye Crayon Box, which contains four full size products and the special sharpener. The formula includes a blend of pharmaceutical grade minerals, antioxidants, vitamins A,C and E, along with green tea extract. Read more about the product here.

Students save 20% at New Look
Hey students - if you need to update your wardrobe for Spring/Summer I've got news for you! You can currently save 20% at New Look until April 23rd! Click here to shop

Summer collection from Illamasqua
The Hypnotica summer make-up collection will be launched on June 2nd and it's an expression of colour. The new range celebrates diversity and individuality, using the "brightest pigments, psychedelic hues and slick textures". The range includes Sketch Sticks (a multi-use crayon which boasts a creamy texture), Lava Lips (an intense marbled lipstick), Lip Lure (a liquid lipstick with a glossy finish), Dolly Lashes (a range of fake eyelashes for the bottom lashes) and the Slick Stick (which is a retractable lip crayon).

New Luminous Blush from Becca
BECCA’s Shimmering Skin Perfector Luminous Blush is available in six shades and aims to "let cheeks glow with light". The blushers are multi-dimensional and versatile blushes, letting you create a subtle, shimmering flush. They've been designed to suit all skintones giving you the right balance of colour and light. Read more about the new product on the Becca website.

Spring Grab Bags from Burt's Bees are back!
Every year Burt's Bees launch a special grab bag, which features lots of seasonal essentials for a fraction of the normal cost. This years “Spring Essentials Grab Bag”, gives you everything you need to nourish and moisturise your skin from tip to toe! The products are worth over £50 and you can buy it for just £19.99! The bag includes; Beeswax & Banana Hand Cream, Tinted Lip Balm in Pink Blossom, Lemon Butter Cuticle Cream, Peach & Willowbark Scrub, Wild Cherry Lip Balm, Lip Shine in Peachy, Beeswax Lip Balm and a fabulous Yellow Hexagonal Tin. Check it out here
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