A Match Made In Heaven

Hello lovelies!

I recently invested in MAC Studio Fix Fluid foundation again after a little love affair with NARS Sheer Glow, I opted for NC20 which is a shade darker than i usually wear (NC15) but i thought with another holiday on the horizon and a me been a little tanned from Tenerife i would benefit from a darker shade! I LOVE the coverage of the studio fix fluid which i constantly crave although i know its not to everyones taste! 

I was sent the Topshop Skin Glow in Dark a while ago but it has always been too dark for me to use with foundation or to highlight so last night i tried mixing it with the MAC foundation as i always find that it gives a completely matte finish which i dont like, as i like foundation to look quite glowy and healthy. The Skin Glow made the foundation a little darker, which i didnt mind as it still blended in to my current skin tone and it gave a gorgeous sheen to the skin! I think im in love!

Hopefully you will be able to see the sheen that the skin glow gives to the foundation and doesnt look flat and matte as it does on its own. I think this is the start of me mixing highlighters and illuminators with my foundations to give it a little summer glow! I love the finish of this and definitely thinking of investing in the light version to use as a highlight or to mix with foundation when my skin is a little lighter. 

Have you used the Topshop Skin Glow before? Or any of the other topshop makeup products?

I would love to hear your thoughts!

The Topshop Skin Glow is available to buy from here and is £10. 

xxx

duty free goodness

Hello ladies, 

I was very restrained with duty free purchases and only picked up one thing on the airplane coming home. I saw this Benefit Primpcess kit and knew i had to have it! It was a bargain price of £15. 

I may be wrong but i think this kit is a travel exclusive, I cant seem to find it online!

This kit comes complete with: 

Bad Gal Lash mini mascara in black

3 Powder eyeshadows in accent, contour and liner 

Creaseless cream eyeshadow in RSVP

Boi-ing concealer in No2

Eye Bright

Fluff shadow and talent brush

Concealer brush 

I know i will get a lot of use out of the contour eyeshadow and also the creaseless cream eyeshadow! They both look gorgeous, neutral shades! I am already a massive fan of the bad gal lash mascara so this size will come in handy for travel and as i have a little bit of a tan at the minute the concealer should also work well with my skin tone! 

Overall very happy with my one purchase! 

What are your thoughts on Benefit products? Do you own any of the kits?

xxx

Holiday Nails

Happy Friday ladies!

Hope you are all looking forward to the Bank Holiday weekend! 

I just wanted to show you my nails from my holiday last week.

I started my holiday with a set of false nails from Bodycare of all places for the bargain price of £1.99! These lasted amazingly well and stayed in tact for a few days until i ended up pulling them off! Love the silver glittery strip on these! Uber tacky and perfect for a few days in the sun!

I then painted my nails with Essies Haute as Hello as i mentioned in my Top 5 Summer Nail Polishes Post with a Lorraine Stanick style glittery nail and glitter tips using Orly's Hair Band which is a gorgeous gold glitter polish. I think it worked really well with the coral polish and looks lovely with a tan!

What are your go to holiday nail polish shades?

xxx

GlossyBox: May 2011

Hello lovelies, 

Im sure you are all aware of GlossyBox by now, if not let me explain. GlossyBox are a UK company that send out each month a box full of five luxury beauty miniatures for £10 with free delivery. You sign up and each month one of these gorgeous boxes will be delivered through your door. You can also cancel at anytime if you are unhappy or change your mind. 

The May 2011 was the first GlossyBox that seems to have taken the beauty community by storm! I was offered my first GlossyBox to be sent to me for free and after i read about the concept and looked at the website it was a offer i couldnt refuse!

Most ladies received their boxes last week so my apologies if you have already seen a influx of posts but as i have just got back from holiday i have literally just opened it today!

The first thing i noticed is the absolutely stunning packaging. Even the cardboard box that the GlossyBox is posted in is nice. Once open you are welcomed with a handwritten note, a personal touch which i absolutely love and background information of the company. 

The GlossyBox itself is a gorgeous pink sturdy box that will be perfect for storage. Inside is nestled with tissuepaper, ribbon, a leaflet of the products you receive in your box and of course the products themselves! 

I was most pleasantly surprised with the goodies i received in my box.

Products included:

NARS Orgasm Illuminator

All For Eve - Eve Red Lipstick

Bionove Lab - Bioactice Cleanser for Normal/Dry Skin

Alterna - Caviar Anti-Aging Rapid Repair Spray

COMO Shambhala - Invigorate Body Lotion 

Obviously the star product of this box was the NARS Orgasm Illuminator! How amazing is that?! I have eyed this product up for months and still cant believe its mine! 

Overall GlossyBox is beauty luxury in a box. Absolutely everything is spot on. The gorgeous packaging is definitely a plus point and of course the products are a bonus! I really do think it is such a great idea for £10 posted! I absolutely love the concept, all ladies love receiving packages and this is pure luxury from the products down to the packaging. You can sign up to GlossyBox here. 


A bargain for £10 a month if i do say so myself!

Will you be getting involved with GlossyBox?

xxx

whats new: jewellery

Afternoon lovelies!

I am home from my holiday in Tenerife! I just want to say a massive thank you to absolutely everyone who has read and commented on my blog over the past few days whilst i've been away! I couldn't stay away too long and have been checking my emails and my blog! I must admit i did miss posting and cant wait to get back into the swing of things!

I have had a influx of followers over the past few days so thank you so much to everyone for reading! A 2500 follower giveaway will be up soon as a massive thank you to you all! 

Today i just wanted to let you know that i have updated my Jewellery Website and added more adjustable cross rings in both gold and silver, shell rings and also angel wing necklaces in gold and silver. 

I am also currently offering free postage & packaging to the UK for a limited time! 

I hope you find something you like! 

I hope you are all well and enjoying your week, its nearly a 3 day weekend! :)

xxx

skincare essentials: holiday

Hello poppets 

Carrying on with the travel theme i thought i would show you the skincare products i am taking away with me. I have a few favourite skincare products most of them been things i am taking away with me and all from one particular brand. 

My essentials: 

♥ Liz Earle Cleanse and Polish ♥

The Liz Earle Cleanse and Polish, you can see my review of this wonder product here. I am in love with it and use it twice daily without fail. It is without a doubt my holy grail cleanser and even though the bottle is huge i still need to take this away with me! Absolutely love it!

♥ Liz Earle Instant Boost Skin Tonic ♥

How cute is this little spritzer bottle? Perfect size for a week away as the full size bottle lasts me months using it twice a day! This smells amazing and is just so soft and gentle on your skin, leaving it feel really cleansed and smooth.

♥ Liz Earle Skin Repair Moisturiser: Dry/Sensitive ♥

Although this isnt the Liz Earle moisturiser i usually use as i use the one that is for normal to combination skin, i thought i would give this a try on holiday as the small tube is convenient and my skin does tend to get quite dry in the sun. 

♥ Liz Earle Daily Eye Repair ♥

You can read my review of the Daily Eye repair here as this is one of the two skincare products that i cant live without. This is a gorgeous, moisturisng eye cream that luminates the eye area with light reflecting particles. A definite essential in my skincare routine that comes in a small, handy squeezable tube.

♥ Liz Earle Spot On ♥

Another product that i use every day religiously, this was the other of the skincare products that i cant live without! I have blemish prone skin and this product really does keep the spots at bay, i use it twice daily after cleansing and it really does improve my skin! Need to purchase another of these soon as i have nearly finished! 

The miniture products are taken from the Liz Earle Skin Savers kit which is available to buy for £16.10 and also contains the hand repair and superbalm.

What are your skincare essentials?

xxx

Top 5 Summer Nail Polishes

Hello ladies!

After yesterdays blog post on my top 5 products taking me from day to night i thought i would carry on with the series and show you my top 5 nail polishes for perfect summery nails. 

Most of them are still widely available, especially within the UK but one (by MAC) is limited edition so may be hard to come by, i managed to pick mine up in a blog sale! 

You may have probably noticed a theme...for the summer months theres nothing more i love nail polish wise than gorgeous pastel peach colours, perfect for the spring and summer. 

Barry M Flamingo Pink

MAC Coconut Ice - Limited Edition

Essie Van D'Go

Barry M Peach Melba

Essie Haute As Hello

As you can see in the bottles a few of them look quite similar but once swatched they are all different.

Do you own and like any of my summer favourites? What are your summer go to nail polishes? I would love to discover some new ones! 

What products would you like me to do a 'Top 5' of? Please leave me some suggestions! 

xxx

Top 5 Products Taking Me From Day To Night

Hello ladies!

I have wanted to do a top 5 series for a while so i thought i would get the ball rolling and show you my top 5 products taking me from day to night.

Today i have a post on 5 products that can take my daytime look into night time. My day time make up is simple and not very unadventurous but for a night out i go all out and it is time to bring out the bright lipsticks and smoky eye!

Heres 5 products that can take my day make up into the night!

♥ Urban Decay Naked Palette ♥

As i said above, day eye make up would consist of a wash of one eyeshadow colour only, usually a muted neutral such as 'Sin' from the naked palette, however on a night i like to shake things up a bit and use 'Sin' all over the lid, 'Sidecar' in the crease and 'Smog' in the outer V of the eyelid. Absolutely love this palette and couldnt recommend it enough!

♥ Benefit Bad Gal Eyeliner ♥

For day time, i use a liquid eye liner to line the upper lash line and leave my waterline bare as i think this looks a bit too much for day make up, however on a night i can transform my eye make up by adding the Benefit Bad Gal eyeliner to my water line, it darkens up my eye area and paired with the smoky eye is perfect for a night out! 

♥ MAC Viva Glam Gaga Lipstick ♥

The Viva Glam Gaga lipstick is a gorgeous bubblegum pink which is perfect for night or day but the reason why i have put it in my top 5 products to take me from day to night is because it can be worn muted through the day for a sheer pink lip colour or can be worn much heavier on a night for a bright barbie pink lip, one of my favourites to wear on a evening. 

♥ Rimmel Day To Night Mascara ♥

The Rimmel Glam'Eyes Day 2 Night mascara is a perfect product from taking your make up from day to night in one product! It consists of a tube with one wand but with two different results. For day time the 'length' can be used to lengthen the lashes for a less dramatic look whereas 'volume' can be used on a night to make the lashes look thicker and more volumised. When using the length cap the wand is quite long and thin so its perfect to work the mascara into your inner corner lashes. For a fuller night time look (which is what i like) you can even use the length cap first followed by the volume cap. I love the concept of this mascara and it is definitely a cheaper alternative for the MAC Haute & Naughty mascara. As you can see from above, the length cap really gives the lashes some length without much volume and the volume gives a much fuller, thicker look. The actual mascara isnt too wet which i like as it doesnt smudge and dries pretty much instantly. I really love the consistency too because its not a dry product and coats the lashes really well. I really like this! It is available to buy from here for £5.99, an amazing price!

♥ MAC Mineralize Skinfinish in Porcelain Pink ♥

Porcelain pink is a product i dont use too often as i find it a little shimmery to get away with wearing in the day as i dont usually highlight my face for a day time look but on a night i whip out the shimmery highlight and porcelain pink by MAC usually compliments my make up and skintone nicely.

What are your 5 products that take you from Day to Night?


Tomorrow I have my top 5 summery nail polishes for you 

xxx

(Sponsored Post)

Whats in my travel makeup bag?

Hello darlings, 

As a lot of you probably know, especially if you follow me on twitter you will know that i am going on holiday today! If scheduled correctly i will be heading to the airport now! I am going to Tenerife for a week with my lovely boyfriend James :)

To get into the holiday spirit and to keep things beauty related i thought i would show you the contents of my travel makeup bag and the makeup goodness i will be taking on holiday with me. 

 Heres my make-up bag, its a Fearne Cotton one that i got in the Christmas Make Up Box:

♥ Makeup Products ♥
Face

Rimmel 25 Hour Foundation in Soft Beige
Slightly darker than my skintone at the minute but as im going on holiday hope i will be okay when im a little more tanned. 
Rimmel Stay Matte Powder
Not a powder i use regularaly as i love my MAC Mineralize Skinfinish natural but this shade is a little darker than what i normally wear so thought it would be perfect to take away.

NARS Laguna Bronzer

My everyday bronzer, Its not perfect and im not sure it is worth the £24 price tag that NARS now currently charge but i own it and vow to use it up. It has nice colour pay off that isnt too orange or muddy looking, with slight shimmer to give that holiday glow.

Illamasqua Sob Cream Blush

Perfect girly pink cream blush, love the dewyness that this blush gives and the lasting power is amazing.

Accessorize Starlet Blush

I love the Accessorize mineralize blushes, they are so cheap and cheerful and the qualilty is amazing for the price and quantity you get. This gorgeous bright pink works great either on its own or over the illamasqua cream blush to make it less dewy. 

NARS Deep Throat Blush

This blush doesnt take much explain, love this light peach shimmery blush, which i find perfect for day or night. 

Eyes

MAC Painterly Paint Pot
My go to eyeshadow primer, I used to love the Urban Decay primer potion but it has been replaced by this. I use it everyday without fail, It is the same colour as my skin tone so makes a perfect eye base and ensures eyeshadow lasts all day. 
MAC Eyeshadow Quad with 'Naked Lunch', 'All That Glitters', 'Satin Taupe' and 'Patina'.
If i was to own 4 eyeshadows for the rest of my life ever it would be these 4! Each colour works amazing as a wash of colour on the lid on its own, or my favourite combo is to wear all that glitters all over the lid, patina in the crease with satin taupe in the outer corner of the eye. LOVE! 
Rimmel Day To Night Mascara
My new love, this mascara is perfect! I love the way it can be used 2 different ways or together to make lashes long and voluminous! Not to wet or sticky, and dries pretty much instantly.
Collection 2000 Liquid Eyeliner
My current liquid eyeliner, I must admit it is not my favourite liquid eyeliner ever but it is currently the only one that i own. I do need to repurchase the illamasqua precision ink eyeliner is this is my all time favourite! 

Lips

MAC Viva Glam Gaga, Shy Girl, Costa Chic and Saint Germain Lipsticks
Viva Glam Gaga lipstick i find wearable for either day or not, it can be applied quite sheerly for the day time or heavier for more of a bubblegum pink nightime look. Shy Girl is a perfect peach that is a regular daytime lipstick for myself and Costa Chic which i received from the gorgeous Charlotte is a gorgeous summer colour that is a little brighter and looks lovely with a bronzed glow for a evening. Saint Germain is your barbie bright pink that is my staple lipstick for a nightime. 


Please note ladies that on holiday i tend to not wear much make up through the day, maybe a slick of lipbalm and some mascara, a majority of the make up im taking in my travel make up bag will be worn for a night time!


I think i have been quite reserved with only 3 blushes and 4 lipsticks! :)

What products do you include in your travel makeup bag?

Hope you are all having a wonderful week!


xxx

Lust List No2 - Beauty Addition

Afternoon sweethearts!

You probably read last weeks Lust List No1 which pretty much consisted of clothes and accessories, this weeks is a beauty addition. After watching Fleur, Ingrid and Tanya's favourite make up of all time video on youtube i am really lusting after some gorgeous make up products which i wasnt really interested in before! Here are a few things i am wanting this week!

♥ Chanel Pro Lumiere Foundation ♥

After watcing Pixiwoo's guide to Chanel foundations video, it left me lusting after some Chanel foundations. After watching it over and over i decided that the Pro Lumiere was definitely a foundation i needed to try, as the coverage was quite good and still left a dewy finish - perfect! Need to get my hands on this! 

♥ Benefit Bella Bamba Boxed Powder ♥

I have wanted this since it first came out and when i went to London in January for IMATS my gorgeous friend Paula bought this and it looks perfect! Why i havent bought this yet is beyond me, the colour is stunning! 

♥ Bobbi Brown Creamy Concealer ♥

The much talked about Bobbi Brown creamy concealer, i have read so many rave reviews about this product but i have always been quite content with my MAC Studio finish concealer, although i have decided i definitely need to give this a go at some point!

♥ Dior Amber Diamond Highlighter ♥

Another raved about product! Tanya mentioned that this was her all time favourite highlighter which means Sinead needs it! She always looks so glowing in her videos, need this! 

♥ Laura Mercier Translucent Powder ♥

I have never ever used a translucent powder, i have always loved the coverage of coloured powders, especially the MAC Mineralize Skinfinish Natural but again a product much raved about by my favourite youtube gurus i need to have a try! 

♥ Chanel Vitalumiere Aqua Foundation ♥

From what i have read this is quite a lightweight foundation but still gives a good coverage with a dewy finish, sounds perfect right?! I am currently using NARS sheer glow, which i am expecting this to be like? and for the same price it would be rude not to try it at least once!

What are you lusting after this week? Do you own any of the items im currently lusting after? What are your thoughts? I would love to know!

Hope your having a good week my lovelies!

xxx

P&G Summer Spa

Good morning sweethearts! 

On the 2nd of June, Procter & Gamble (P&G) the company who look after various beauty and grooming brands such as Max Factor and Olay will be holding a Summer Spa event where all 10 of P&G's Brand Ambassadors will be answering questions and doing tutorials about beauty and grooming. Emma and Katie from The Beauty Button will be in attendance on the day to grill the ambassadors! 


Brand ambassadors and beauty experts that will be available on the day include:


Ben Cooke: Herbal Essences

Caroline Barnes: Max Factor

Christel Lundqvist: Wella Professionals 

What has this go to do with you i hear you say? Well P&G would love YOU my readers to vote on the poll below which questions you would like to be most answered. 

A question i would love to the brand ambassadors would be:

What products can you use to achieve big and volumised hair for hair that is straight and lifeless?

Once you have voted in the poll, i would love it if you could leave in the comments below any beauty and grooming questions that are not on the poll that you would love to ask the brand ambassadors yourselves. On the night the brand ambassadors will answer 'wildcard' questions taken from blog comments (so yours could be included!). If your question is chosen you will win a fab P&G prize bag of key P&G beauty items, all for leaving a beauty question you have below! Please leave your email address in the comments with your question so you can be contacted if you are lucky enough to have your question asked and answered! 

Remember to check back on my blog after the event has happened on the 2nd June to see the results and if you are lucky enough to win a prize bag! 

xxx


(Sponsored Post)

Paulas Choice

Good morning all!
Happy Monday :) Hope you are all well! 

Today I am going to talk a little about a skincare company called Paula's Choice which if you keep on reading will point you in the direction of a giveaway.

What is Paula's Choice?

Paula Begoun is the mastermind behind the skincare company Paula's Choice, her career has already spanned 30 years in the cosmetics industry and over the years she has tried and tested thousands of skincare formulations and make up products. From her own research and the quest to find good quality products for reasonable and affordable prices, Paula came up with her own line and started the company - Paulas Choice. 

The range consists of all products that are 100% fragrance and colour free as these are the products that are best for your skin. They are also cruelty free and not tested on animals at any stage. You can read more about Paula's Choice here and the lady behind the company Paula Begoun here. 

Paula's Choice RESIST Range

The Paula's Choice RESIST range which contains ingredients proven to remodel aging skin bringing it to a healthier much more youthful state. 

Two new additional products to the RESIST range are the RESIST Daily Smoothing Treatment with 5% AHA and the RESIST Super Antioxidant Concentrate Serum. 

The RESIST Daily Smoothing Treatment with 5% AHA is a daily facial treatment and is a must have for those who want to look younger. It contains an effective concentration of glycolic acid and salicylic acid to exfoliate the skin to reveal a youthful, radiant appearance. It restores a healthy, radiant, firmer look to your skin. It is suitable for all skin types and the formulation will continually renew the skins texture, even skin tone, smooth fine lines and stimulate healthy collagen production via exfoliation. It should be used once a day for first time users and followed by the serum.  

This retails for £25.15 and is available to buy from here.

The RESIST Super Antioxidant Concentrate Serum is a serum that efficiently addresses the issues that may cause skin to look wrinkled and also reduce inflammation and the visible side effects of sun damage. 
It is suitable for all skin types and is to be used once or twice daily. It includes a blend of proven ingredients to ensure younger looking skin and works to repair damaged skin cells and rebuild skins protective barrier. 

This retails for £25.15 and is available to buy from here.

All the products from the Paulas Choice RESIST range can be found here.

Prize Draw

Paula’s Choice are offering fans of Paula and the Paula’s Choice range the exciting chance to win an afternoon tea with the Cosmetics Cop herself! The exclusive afternoon tea with Paula will be held at the Rose Lounge at London’s swish Sofitel Hotel on the 13th of June 2011. During the afternoon tea you can discuss all your skin care concerns and get your very own personal skin care consultation. Plus Paula will be on hand to bust the latest myths from the beauty industry with an insight into what’s going to be the latest must have ingredients to watch out for.

How to enter:
Subscribe to the Paula’s Choice monthly newsletter before 31/05/2011 and be in with the chance to enter the prize draw. There will also be a number of other great Paula’s Choice prizes for the runners up. As a newsletter subscriber you will receive exclusive monthly Paula’s Choice offers, interesting articles on beauty and skin care and have access to the presale of all our new product launches.

The prizes on offer:
1st prize: Three people will win afternoon tea sessions with Paula Begoun (including transport to London).
2nd prize: Two people will win Paula’s Choice skin care sets (worth £135 per set).
3rd prize: Ten people will win a personally autographed copy of Paula's best-selling book 'Don't go to the cosmetics counter without me.'

Winners will be informed by 01/06/2011 and it is open to UK residents only. 

The link to the competiton can be found here and the link to the competition on facebook can be found here.

Good luck! I am off to enter myself :)

xxx


(Sponsored Post)

Sleek MakeUP Luminaire

Good morning my lovelies! 

A new product to the ever growing Sleek MakeUP brand is the Luminare Highlighting Concealer. 

'A highlighting concealer wth moisturising properties, luminare brightens dark circles, conceals blemishes and fades out inperfections'. 

This Sleek MakeUP Luminaire is available in 5 shades, L01, L02, L03, L04 & L05. I was sent the shade L01 which is the lightest shade and perfect for my skintone although it does look quite light, with a pink undertone but it is perfect to conceal under eye circles. 

The consistency is quite thick but it blends quite easily and provides a heavy coverage without looking cakey, and with a matte finish. The product pumps out using a clicker at the end of the pen and on the first attempt takes quite a few clicks to get the product out at first. It comes with a brush applicator and although i use this to apply the product to my face i still use my Sigma E40 Tapered Blending Brush to buff in my concealer under my eyes. 

Overall, a good product that provides quite a heavy and full coverage that is perfect to conceal blemishes and imperfections and available in a range of colours. Definitely worth checking out! 

Sleek MakeUP's Luminaire highlighting concealer s now in Superdrug stores nationwide and on the Sleek MakeUP Website as a permanent product for £6.49.

Will you be buying this?

xxx