MAC/CCO Haul

Hello my lovelies,

It feels like such a long time that i have done a little MAC or CCO haul but today i have a little one for you. Last weekend, I went to the Designer Outlet in York that has a Cosmetics Company Outlet (CCO). Stock changes constantly in this store and its been quite a while since i had last been so i didnt know what to expect. They had loads! I really could have gone all out! They had lots of MAC limited edition products that are rare/hard to find such as MAC Lightscapade MSF along with a load of lipsticks and blushes!

I was pretty restrained and only picked up two things. One of which i have never used before but now after trying, i have absolutely no idea why this was the case!

♥ MAC 234 Duo Fibre Blending Brush 

I do believe that this MAC 234 Split Fibre eye blending brush came out with a collection and was infact limited edition however i do think that it has now been added to the normal range. I remember wanting this brush when it first came out and even though it was ony £16 i never actually bought it. In the CCO it was £11 and for that price i seriously couldnt resist! It is a gorgeous eye blending brush, similar to the MAC 217. I dont own many MAC brushes but their eye brushes are my favourites out of any brand ive tried and use them daily.

♥ MAC Sheen Supreme Lipstick in 'Royal Azalea' ♥

I am a massive massive fan of MACs normal range lipsticks and even though i have seen the sheen supreme lipsticks before i have never really payed much attention to them. However after swatching a few in the CCO i really dont know why not?! I think its the word 'sheen' that actually put me off and i thought these would be like sheer lipbalms and not like lipsticks at all. How wrong was i?! These are simply stunning! In the shop i was debating over this or a coral shade and im really kicking myself that i didnt actually get both! They feel so creamy and glossy on the lips and they are really long lasting. Im very impressed! This shade, Royal Azalea reminds me of a slightly glossier version of MAC Viva Glam Gaga as i find them extremely similar in colour. This cost me £9.50 in the CCO instead of £13.50.

Overall i was pretty restrained in the CCO, i could have gone wild but im glad i restrained myself and i am very happy with my two little purchases!

Have you bought anything from MAC or your local CCO lately?

xx

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Illamasqua Naked Strangers Collection

Happy Monday my loves!

I hope you are all well!

As most of you probably know, Illamasqua is one of my all time favourite make up brands and for me personally is up there with the likes of MAC. 

Naked Strangers is a new mini summer collection from Illamasqua that consists of seven limited edition products for lips, nails and cheeks that im sure is going to be one that is loved by many especially neutral lovers like myself. 

“Naked Strangers captures inner glows and depths. The deeply and darkly alluring exists alongside ethereal shimmering brilliance. We are complex and multifaceted whilst also being naked to the world.”

Alex Box, Illamasqua Creative Director.

“Naked Strangers represents everything about borderlines...the human edge between romance and permissive intimacy...a step beyond control, a step past the edge and a collection of gilded moments upon the tip of sensation. Beautiful nudes with metallic edge set amongst eclectic textures.”

David Horne, Illamasqua Director of Product Development.

The collection consists of a powder blush (Naked Rose - neutral beige brown), a cream blush (Zygomatic - naked pink brown), 3 nail polishes - Monogamous (Creamy Flesh Pink with a Matte Finish), Faithful (Coppered Metal) and Swinger (Glistening Platinum Gold) and 2 Lipglosses Stranger (Platinum gold) and Intimacy (Nude Pink Brown). 

I was sent a couple of products from the collection to try. 

♥ Nail Polishes in Monogamous and Faithful - £13.50 each ♥
Monogamous is described by Illamasqua as a creamy flesh pink. It is completely matte with no shimmer whatsoever and also dries the same so i would personally pop a top coat over it. It has quite a rubbery finish i find, much similar to the rubber polishes that Illamasqua released with the Theatre of the nameless collection. It is a peachy-pale pink that i find to be fully opaque with 2 coats and even though it is a light shade i think it will look perfect with a tan. 
Faithful is described as a coppered metal that is a brown toned metal shade with shimmer that is simply stunning both in the bottle and swatched.

♥ Powder Blush in Naked Rose - £16.50 ♥
As you probably know, Illamasqua blushes are my absolute absolute fave although i do own many more of the cream blushes than i do powder. However thats not saying that i dont like the powder blushes because i do! Naked Rose is described as Neutral Beige Brown or to you and me a pale dusky pink that is completely matte. This feel buttery soft to touch and as with all Illamasqua blushes this is extremely pigmented. This is a shade that i would reach for on a daily basis to add a bit of brightness to the apples of my cheeks.

This collection also contains a limited edition cream blush that i really am going to have to get my hands on as i love their cream blushes! I am also eyeing up the gold nail polish! This is the first collection from Illamasqua that i have wanted pretty much everything from. I always want something from their collections, usually one or two key pieces but this collection has my name all over it! I will be logging onto the website on launch day thats for sure!  

The Illamasqua Naked Strangers collection is available to buy from Thursday 31st May 2012 at Illamasqua.com and Illamasqua counters.

Registered members of the Illamasqua website (If you are not signed up then i suggest to do so now!) can get their hands on the three nail polishes in the collection right now! 

Will you be getting your hands on anything from this collection?
xx
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Glossybox May 2012 - 1st Anniversary Box

Hello ladies,

Two posts in one day you lucky things!

Yesterday i received the May Glossybox* which actually happens to be the one year anniversary Glossybox too! If you can scope back i actually reviewed the first Glossybox back in May last year!

The thing with Glossybox is that i absolutely love the element of surprise, it really is such a good feeling! and with Glossybox that is what you are getting every month! I really dont think it is a lose lose situation because even though you spend your £10 not knowing what goodies you will receive but each and every time, the packaging and contents themselves are worth above and beyond that amount!

Lets have a little look at the products in my box.

♥ Noble Isle Summer Rising Bath & Shower Gel ♥

Noble Isle is a new British bath and body brand inspired by the natural an cultural riches of the British Isles. The Summer Rising bath & shower gel has a lovely scent, that is familar to one that i have tried before i just cant put my finger on it and contains elderflower and gooseberry. I love shower gel samples, they are so handy for travelling and love the cute little bottle this comes with. This is a 75ml generous sample size with 250ml retailing for £20.

♥ Lolita Lempicka L'Eau en Blanc & Si Lolita ♥

Fragrance samples, some people love them and some people loathe them. I personally love them especially if they are combined with other amazing products. I love them because i get to smell scents that i wouldnt personally try or pick up myself. However, neither of these are to my particular tastes and smell a bit too 'old' for my liking. Having said that its a pretty pricey perfume with the 50ml of the L'Eau en Blanc costing £49.

♥ Uniq one All In One Hair Treatment ♥

I love these handy little hair treatment sprays that pop up quite regularly in monthly beauty boxes as it lets you try new goodies for your hair without shelling out a fortune in the first place. The Uniq one All in one hair treatment is to help repair dry and damaged hair, to keep frizz at bay and to be used as a heat protectant amongst other things. It sounds like a pretty multipurpose product which i am looking forward to trying. Cheap Smells actually stock this for £9.95 for a 150ml bottle so if it is any good i shall be buying it for myself. 

♥ Lets Go Lashes ♥

I do love lashes! I love receiving lashes in beauty boxes even more! I love boxes that contain more make up than skin care so lashes are always a winner. These are by Lets Go whose lashes i have never heard of or seen before although they are part of the Nouveau beauty group. The lashes i received were the Lets Go Tease Strip lashes in No 2 that cost £8.95 on their website. I will be wearing these on a night out tomorrow so i shall report back!

♥ Weleda body lotion ♥

The Weleda brand pops up quite frequently in beauty boxes. I had to google a little about this one as the box and bottle are actually in German. After translating the weleda website i found that this is in fact a rose scented body lotion. It contains wild rose oil to help moisturise skin and retain elasticity. Not a product i am particularly overwhelmed with if im honest. A full size 100ml bottle retails for £11.95 making this 10ml sample worth around £1.20. 

♥ Glossybox Compact Mirror ♥

As its their Birthday they added another little product this month in the form of a small compact mirror that has a magnified and normal side so will definitely come in handy.

Can i just add a sidenote saying how much i love the packaging? This month Glossybox have seriously gone above and beyond! The gorgeous tissue paper, special edition ribbon it is just all so lovely! 

Happy Birthday Glossybox! You can buy yours here.

Did you receive this months Box? What are your thoughts?

xx

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Fifi Lapin Phone Cover

Hello honeys,

I am constantly swapping and changing the cover on my Iphone 4, usually something either ultra girly and cute or blingtastic and quite tacky - either way i do love a good phone cover and have gone through quite a few in my time! 

I was recently contacted and sent my new Iphone 4 cover by Iconemesis a online mobile phone cover website that caters for the 3g and 4g Iphones. I chose this gorgeous Fifi Lapin Cupcake case after seeing it on quite a few other blogs and absolutely falling in love with it although i must admit i did have a hard time choosing between this one and this bow one. 

In real life this cover is absolutely gorgeous. The background is a pale purple shade with Fifi on the front dressed as a cupcake with a red cherry on her head. It fits so well and snug onto my phone and has a glossy finish. The case itself doesnt feel cheap and flimsy and you can tell it is of better quality than some of the cheapy covers i have acquired in the past, even my boyfriend commented on the quality. 

The design itself is beautiful and includes a cupcake which is always a winner with me. This particular case retails for £24.99 and the Iconemesis website offers free delivery. I received my case the day after it was delivered too, so extremely quick!  

Also, coming soon to the Iconemesis website is a create your own iphone case that sounds intriguing! 

What case is your phone currently sporting? 

xx

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MAC Reel Sexy Lipstick

Hello my loves, 

I blogged recently about MAC Reel Sexy lipstick in my recent MAC Haul however i promised i would do a more in depth review of it and as i am true to my word, here it is!

MAC Reel Sexy lipstick was released with the recent Reel Sexy collection and i must admit it was the only thing that i actually fancied from the collection. I do believe that this collection was released in the UK before the US (Surprisingly!) so swatches of any of the products on the internet were few and far between so i purchased online without seeing any pictures and really just going by descriptions! 

Boy did my gamble pay off! Reel Sexy is described by MAC as light bright coral and has a Amplified Creme finish. This lipstick was instantly opaque and bright and went on my lips with ease and didnt take much effort to apply. This lipstick definitely leans more peach than orange as i tend to find that lipsticks with too much orange in do not suit my skintone. For instance, Watch Me Simmer, a orange lipstick that came out in this collection and looks stunning is way too bright for me to pull off.

The colour itself reminds me very much of Costa Chic without the shimmer or frost finish. As it is an amplified finish it is bright but in my opinion beautiful. It feels gorgeous on the lips, isnt drying in the slightest and i find it to be quite moisturising and so creamy. 

This is one of the most gorgeous lipsticks i own and i am so glad i picked it up. I have quite a few MAC coral and peach shade lipsticks in my collection (mostly limited edition ones) but currently this is by far my favourite. 

I believe that this is currently sold out online but the Reel Sexy collection is still available in stores so you may be able to get it still. 

Did you get anything from this collection? What are your feelings towards orange lipsticks? 

xx

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Review: YSL Le Teint Touche Eclat Foundation

Hello sweethearts, 

Yves Saint Laurent are launching a new foundation named Le Teint Touche Eclat that will be available in 22 shades. Twenty years after the launch of Touch Eclat YSL have put the magic of the highlighter in a foundation to achieve the same illuminating effect but for the whole face.

I recently received a sample of the new YSL foundation and have been wearing it daily so i can give you my thoughts. 

YSL Le Teint Touche Eclat Shade B10 compared with NARS Sheer Glow in Mont Blanc
The foundation comes in 3 under tones, Beige Rose (BR), Beige (B) and Beige Dore (BD). Beige Rose has 6 foundation shades, Beige with the most at 9 foundation shades and Beige Dore has 7 foundation shades. I opted for Beige (B) 10. This was a complete guess as there arent really any swatches or pictures of this foundation as of yet on the internet as it hasnt been released yet, however i knew i would probably be the lightest shade and i must admit i did pick wisely as this colour is a great match.

In the bottle it looked quite dark, but i swatched a little on my hand as soon as i received it and as you can see from the picture it actually looks pale in comparison to my hand but it blended in with ease and the colour was fine. I have never personally tried YSL Touche Eclat even though it is an iconic product so i cant compare this foundation with this. 

♥ Coverage ♥

I found this to be good medium coverage foundation foundation that covered any blemishes and imperfections that i had. Unlike some higher coverage foundations i didnt find that it felt heavy or too mask like in the slightest. It was quite glowy and isnt a matte finish foundation which i really like. My skin looked radiant and healthy. I did apply my usual concealer (Bobbi Brown Creamy Concealer) and Powder (MAC Mineralize skinfinish natural) over the top. 

♥ Packaging ♥

I only received a sample (10ml) size bottle of the foundation to try however the original packaging on the normal size 30ml foundation is a simple tall, rounded glass bottle with Yves Saint Laurent written simply on the bottle in gold text and it has a gold lid and pump. It fits in with the YSL make up range extremely well.

♥ Price ♥

This foundation will retail for £28 which i think for a high end foundation and brand is an extremely good price point making it cheaper than other alternatives from Chanel and NARS. I spend around £30 on my foundation so i would happily pay £28 for this. 

♥ Shade Range ♥

As i mentioned above there are 22 shades across 3 undertones which i do believe would include a lot of peoples skin tones and colourings. I wear shade B10 and usually use shade Mont Blanc in NARS Sheer Glow and NC/W15 in MAC. I am pretty much usually the lightest shade in most foundations and this is a perfect match.

♥ Application ♥

As with all foundation i apply it using the Sigma flat top kabuki brush. I apply a dollop of foundation on my forehead, cheeks, chin and nose and stipple it all over my face, i then go back and buff it all in. The foundation is quite thin in consistency as you can probably spot from the photos however it wasnt too runny and i didnt find you had to work quickly with it like some thicker foundations. It was quite a dream to apply actually that was quick and easy.

♥ Overall ♥

I really did love using this foundation. I loved the coverage that it provided and the glow that it gave my skin. The only downside to this foundation was how it wore on my skin. As i have said a few times, my skin is normal/combination and can get a little oily over the course of the day. I found that this foundation wore on my skin around my nose and made me look a little shiny whether i used a primer or not. After a few hours the foundation wore on my nose and chin area, which is where my foundation usually wears so this isnt unusual for me. As ive said before, NARS Sheer Glow is my favourite foundation and in some ways i find the YSL foundation similar to that, especially the glow that it gives and the coverage. I would especially recommend this foundation for those with dry skin as i dont think it would highlight dry patches. 

The YSL Le Teint Touche Eclat Foundation is due to launch nationwide on July 9th 2012.
Are you excited for this launch?
xx
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Top 5 Spring/Summer Nail Polishes

Hello my lovelies,

If you may remember i started doing a little Top 5 series of my favourite products before and have actually done something similar to my favourite Spring polishes but that was around a year ago so i thought i would do an updated version!

As ive mentioned many a times Spring/Summer to me, screams coral and orange! I think its the perfect colour for when the sun is shining and makes me happy! If i ever dont know what to pop on my nails i can almost guarantee that i will plump for a peach! 

So without further ado, heres my current top 5 Spring/Summer polishes that i will be sporting in the coming months...in no particular order may i add! Im not THAT good! 

♥ Look Beauty 'Flamingo' Nail Pop* ♥

I blogged about Look Beauty in this blog post and since then have reached for it quite frewuently! This is the most perfect creamy peach shade that goes on opaque within one coat and is just a stunning colour, especially paired with a gold glittery nail.

♥ OPI 'Mod About You' ♥

Mod about you is a milky pink shade that verges slightly on the lilac side. It is quite pale but looks absolutely stunning with a tan! OPI are probably my absolute favourite when it comes to Nail Polish brands and even though i have quite a small collection of their polishes theyre all beauts.

♥ Essie 'Haute As Hello' ♥

I have 3 Essie polishes and admittedly they are all in the coral/peach family. Out of the ones i own, Haute As Hello is definitely one of my faves and my most used. As you can tell from the swatch this actually dries matte which i personally dont like and either add a glitter or top coat to give it some shine. I do love Essie polishes, both for price, colour range and consistency and cant wait to purchase some more (Although i cant find them in any Boots or Superdrug near me!)

♥ Illamasqua 'Nomad'*♥

Illamasqua Nomad is the newest polish to my collection and actually came out with the Human Fundamentalism collection. It is a beautiful mint green that again is creamy and completely opaque within 2 coats. This is the only shade of green that i actually own as i never thought they suited me but i really am in love with this.

♥ Barry M 'Peach Sorbet' ♥

I love Barry M polishes, I have a select few that i go back to religiously, especially this one and also Pink Flamingo that very nearly made it into the top 5 also! For £2.99 they really are wonderful polishes! This is very similar to the Look Beauty Flamingo, maybe a little too similar but what can i say im a sucker for the peaches! 

I think ive got the right balance between peach, green and pink for perfect summer nails although maybe a little too much peaches? I could have happily continued and chosen more (maybe i should have done a top10?!) as i found this to be quite a challenge!

What colours will you be sporting on your nails this Summer? Any polishes that i need in my collection?

xx

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Neom Sensuous Body Wash & Lotion

Hello again ladies, 


Neom is a brand that i have featured a couple of times on my blog in the past, however usually in the form of their gorgeous candles. However, I have recently been using some of their Sensuous range in particular their organic body wash* and body lotion*. 

The scent of both products contains Ylang Ylang, Frankincense and Patchouli that smells amazing, however they smell quite strong and spicy making it in my opinion suitable for both men and women as i dont find them a particularly girly scent, especially the body lotion.  Pretty unusual to any other smells i have used before but smells so relaxing and comforting and is such a treat to use in the shower. 


The body wash is also packed with soothing Aloe Leaf, Chamomile Flower and Apricot Fruit extract, giving it a citrus, singly scent. It feels extremely gentle on the skin and not in anyway harsh leaving skin feeling soft and cleansed. 
The body wash contains 74% certified organic ingredients and 26% natural ingredients.

I followed using the body wash in the shower with the body lotion that as i mentioned has the same scent and has a blend of Vitamin A & E packed Shea Butter, Macadamia Nut & Rosemary Leaf. It leaves skin feeling extremely hydrated and moisturised whilst leaving it silky smooth, locking in the scent used in the shower. It feels non greasy which is always a bonus for body lotions and it sinks in quickly so doesnt transfer on to your clothes! May i also add that the body lotion was in fact a winner of the Bazaar Hot 100 Beauty Awards for skin in need of a luxurious moisture boost! Fancy! 
The body lotion contains 95% certified organic ingredients and 5% natural ingredients. 

I must add a note on the packaging. I love both the boxes and the bottles that both of these products come in, they also have a pop up cap and not a screw top so you can distribute as little or as much product as you desire. They bottles are simple yet quite expensive looking and look lovely in my bathroom. 
Both products are a whopping 240ml with the Body Wash costing £18 and the Body Lotion costing £25.
You can view all products on the Neom website here.
Have you tried any products from the Neom range?
xx
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