Zoella Beauty and Lifestyle Christmas Collection Reviewed

Hey beaut's!

You may have seen that recently myself and my friend Kate got the chance to go down to London to visit Zoella's Winter Wonderland! We had an hour to explore and look at all of Zoella's new beauty and lifestyle Christmas collections - which where amazing by the way - and on the way out we was given a lovely goodie bag with four of the new launches inside so I thought I'd share my thoughts on them all now that I've had the chance to use them quite a bit.

Snow'ella Body Mist 100ml £12.00 / Winter Wonder Hand Cream £6.00

Zoella's Christmas beauty collection is available in Superdrug and Feel Unique this year and theres quite a few things within the range that I think will be fast sellers, the Snow'ella Body Mist being one of them! The scent of the mist is super fresh, bright, clean and snow like with a flurry of stunning notes such as peony, refreshing mint and pink pepper. Can we all just appreciate how gorgeous the bottle is too, it's a whopping new 100ml size and the pom pom detail is mega cute, I love it! The Winter Wonder Hand Cream carries the same scent as the body mist and the same formula as last years gingerbread hand cream so I knew I'd love this as I went through tubes of last years hand cream. It's super nourishing, non sticky, soaks into my hands quickly and the scent lingers for hours, it's such a Autumn/Winter staple for me!

Cosy Vibes Mug £8.50

The Cosy Vibes Mug is part of Zoe's lifestyle range which is exclusive to Boots and is in their fab 3 for 2 offer which I love, you cant beat a bit of Boot's 3 for 2 at Christmas can you! The mug itself is a decent size for all those hot chocolates, teas and coffees and the design is super cute and so Instagram-able! The lifestyle range actually has a forest green/copper theme which I think work so well together, and even though everything has a festive feel it's not too in your face and you can definitely use everything all year round! 

Bento Box Stationery Set £12.50

Finally the Bento Box Stationery Set has all of your stationary basics covered, theres  

two pencils, a rubber, a ruler, cute arrow shaped paperclips, washi tape and of course and notepad to quickly jot things down. I love this set, not only is it pleasing on the eye but super practical too.

You can find the Lifestyle range exclusively in Boots HERE and the Beauty range is available in Superdrug HERE!

What have you got your eye on from the Christmas Collections this year beaut's? I'd love to know!

Halloween Nails by Leighton Denny!

 Hey beaut's!

Who else is super excited for all things Autumnal, roll on crunchy leaves, cosy jumpers, boots with cute socks, candles oh and Halloween... Speaking of Halloween, can you believe it's something like 50 more sleeps to go, time is just flying by like a witch on her broomstick isn't it (see what I did there hehe)... Anyway I'm going off track now, I've recently been giving three Leighton Denny nail polishes a whirl that are perfect for creating a spooky manicure.

The first shade that I've been trying out is Maneater*, this new shade from Leighton Denny is pretty much a Halloween staple, it's a wet-look glossy jet black shade that will add some spooky drama to those nails. I love how this shade applies, usually blacks can be pretty tricky to get opaque but two thin coats was all this needed and it was as dark as night, I love it. The next shade is Caught Red Handed*, this is a bright, iridescent red that gives a 'naughty but nice' impression. I feel like this shade could easily take you from Halloween to Christmas because it's such a striking red, it look fab on toe nails too. Finally we have Miss Behavin*, this is the most gorgeous enchanting midnight blue shade. It's the deepest shade of blue I own which has a hint of shimmer and sparkle to it, despite being quite mystical it's actually pretty too.

Formula wise... these three are lovely, they are all super opaque and only take two thin coats for complete coverage on my nails, when they go on they aren't streaky and they don't bubble up at all and they dry really quickly too which is always a bonus. Lasting power was really good too, I'm really heavy handed at work and at home with housework and what not and these kept up really well and didn't start chipping away until 3-4 days of wear which is really good for me.

Overall I really like all three of these polishes by Leighton Denny, for such dark shades they performed and applied so well and definitely add a spooky element to any manicure. Have you tried any shades from Leighton Denny beaut's? Which would you suggest? I'd love to know!

You can find the Leighton Denny Nail Polishes for £12.00 each HERE.

Yankee Candle 'Cookie Swap' Collection

Hey beaut's!

It's that time of year again when I go slightly candle crazy, I mean I've always been a candle addict but as Autumn creeps in my addiction honestly reaches a whole new level. With cosy nights and seasonal scents on my mind I decided to pop to my local garden centre and stock up on a few Yankee Candles, I came across a new super yummy collection called 'Cookie Swap' and obviously had to try the range out immediately!

The Cookie Swap range consists of three limited edition scents and as you can imagine from the title of the range they all smell good enough to eat, I honestly cant pick a favourite out of the three because they all smell so good and each scent is right up my street. Firstly theres Iced Gingerbread, this is basically Christmas in a candle to me, it smells just like freshly cooked gingerbread which have been glazed with yummy vanilla icing, its so so good and definitely one to try if you like all things spicy and sweet! Then theres Magic Cookie Bar, this one is super sweet and smells like lashings of chocolate, coconut flakes, brown sugar and butterscotch. It is quite a rich, sickly scent so you might want to bare that in mind but I love it. Finally theres Merry Berry Linzer, this one is gorgeous, think raspberry jam, almond pastry and vanilla and that's exactly what you get from Merry Berry Linzer, it's such a mouth watering scent that will have you reaching for the jammy dodgers, trust me! If your a fan of foodie scents then I cant recommend this collection enough, I definitely need to stock up before the range sells through!

All of the Yankee Candle wax tart melts claim to provides up to 8 hours of fragrance but personally I find they last sooooo much longer, I can literally have the wax tarts burning in my tart burner for weeks and they still fragrance the entire house which is amazing and such great value for money considering they only set you back £1.79 each.

You can find the Cookie Swap Collection in all variations HERE.

Maybelline NEW Colossal Big Shot Mascara Review

Hey beaut's!

It's no secret that I love a Maybelline mascara, their Sensational Mascara is one of my holy grails and has featured in many of my monthly favourites posts, so when I saw they had recently launched a new addiction to their mascara vault - the Colossal Big Shot Mascara I just had to give it a whirl.

Maybelline's Big Shot Mascara* is the newest member of the Colossal family claiming to create big, bold, volumous lashes from root to tip, which sounds right up my street, I love a volumising mascara. The mascara itself has a colossal brush which is an easy to use natural bristle brush, it's a great size for my smaller eye shape not being too big or wide and theres so many 'unique' wavy bristles which catch every lash. The formula itself is lovely, it's collagen enriched which creates that volumised look, it's super black, and it stays in place so well without any smudging, running or flaking which has really impressed me because the weather in the UK at the moment is so hot and yet it still hasn't budged. In terms of this mascara giving me a 'big shot' of volume I'd say it certainly does the trick, I have such short lashes naturally but this mascara makes them appear longer, fuller, separated and curled without the use of eyelash curlers, I've never once experienced any clumping either and usually one quick coat does the trick for me so I save time faffing about with layers too, although it is buildable if you want to create super volume.

Overall I love Maybellines new offering and it has become my go to mascara everyday now, I'm so impressed with how well it lasts on me 'no panda eyes here' even in this hot, humid weather, it doesn't even transfer on my brow bone which I find loads of my other mascara's do. I also love how it opens up my small eyes making them appear larger and brighter, so if your looking to try a new mascara beaut's then I'd highly recommend giving the Maybelline Colossal Big Shot Mascara a whirl.

You can find the Maybelline Colossal Big Shot Mascara for £7.99 HERE.

Urban Decay All Nighter Makeup Setting Spray Review *New Packaging*

Hey beaut's!

If you've read my blog for a while now it wont come as a shock to you at how much I love the Urban Decay All Nighter Setting Spray because it's featured on my blog A LOT! But theres something a little different about my new bottle of All Nighter gorgeousness, yup the packaging has been given a cheeky face lift and I love it. Gone are the days where the old white packaging would have foundation prints and smudges all over it, now we have a gorgeous black and purple slightly rubberised bottle to play with which I think looks much better and is so chic.

The formula of the Urban Decay All Nighter Makeup Setting Spray* is the exact same as it was in the previous packaging so don't be alarmed about that, it's still as gorgeous as ever. What I love about the All Nighter Setting Spray is that it really does make my makeup stay put for so much longer - I'm talking a good 12 hours (full working day) without any fading, caking, melting and some how it smooths out any makeup that might have set into my fine lines, this has always been a problem for me with my smile lines but when I use this setting spray I've noticed it never really happens at all. It's also super lightweight and cant be detected once it's on the skin, it never feels sticky or tacky and I never feel like I have a film layer over my makeup either which gives this lots of sparkly points from me. I'd also highly recommend this if you have problems with shine or oiliness throughout the day, although this isn't a mattifying product as such, I've noticed especially in the humid weather we've been having in the UK recently that I don't get shiny or have the slight oily look on my t-zone at all, this is probably down to the sprays clever temperature control technology which lowers the temperature of your makeup keeping it in tact for longer.

If you haven't tried the All Nighter Setting Spray yet then I'd highly recommend grabbing yourself a travel size bottle to try, it's such a quick and easy final set in your makeup application that makes all the difference, I bloody love this stuff! 

The Urban Decay All Nighter Makeup Setting Spray can be found HERE in the travel size for £10.00 or full size for £23.50 . 

Catseye London Summer Collection 2017

Hey beaut's!

A couple of years back I fell in love with the quirky website called Catseye London, they mainly focus on fashion and beauty accessories such as Makeup Bags, Wash Bags, Handbags, Purses, Pocket Mirrors etc all of which have amazing photographic designs on them, trust me girls if you love anything cute, quirky and vintage inspired your going to love this website just as much as I do! Since Summer is just around the corner Catseye London have updated their website and launched some gorgeous new bits with Summer in mind, so if your jetting off anytime soon you might want to give their site a little look as their new wash bags and makeup bags are gorgeous!

I've been using a couple of their beauty bags in the Etching Dog Collection recently and have been really impressed with the quality and how much you can actually cram into each. The Etching Dog Long Bag* (£12.00)  has been my go to makeup bag for my handbag, it holds the essentials that I might need to top up on during the day like powder, eyeliner and lipstick as well as a couple of makeup brushes, cotton buds, plasters and bobby pins, but it could easily double up as a pencil case as well. Then theres the Etching Dog Large Beauty Bag* (£20.00) which is amazing (and my favourite) because its so spacious and sturdy and can hold so much stuff, this is definitely a good one too have if have loads of makeup or lotions and potions to take away with you because you could easily whack them all in this, so perfect for me because I basically have to pack EVERYTHING when I go away. 

Both bags are made out of that glossy, patent material which is great because it makes it really easy to wipe/rinse clean if you have an spillages during travelling, they also have strong, sturdy silver zippers too which keeps everything safe and secure. The designs and colours are so cute too, can we just appreciate the pop-art pup print (awww) and I love the shade of blue the bags have on them, and the black and white polka dots are right up my street.

Have you tried anything from Catseye London before beaut's? What did you think? I'd love to know?

You can find the Etching Dog Collection as well as lots of other designs on the Catseye London website HERE.

iZ Beauty Nail Polishes Reviewed

Hey beaut's!

Spring is finally here and I'm so happy about it, finally the sandals can come back out, the light wash jeans can make an appearance and it's pastel heaven in the makeup and nail polish caddie he he. Talking of pastel shades I've been obsessed with three new nail polishes I got recently from iZ Beauty, if your new to iZ Beauty like I was their an online brand that sell soooo many nail polishes and loads of nail art products as well as a few makeup items too.

iZ Beauty* have just launched their 'Blooming Beautiful' nail polish collection for Spring and its oh so pretty, the collection is made up of four nail polishes in complimentary pastel shades all with a lovely gel effect formula. The three shades I have been road testing are Wild Sage - a soft spring green, Wisteria Lane - a pastel purple with a pink undertone and finally Lily Romance - a cool-toned pink, theres also a pastel powder blue shade in the collection too called Forget Me Not which is high on my wish list to try he he.

Each shade applied smoothly with no bubbling or streaking what so ever and where fully opaque after two thin coats, I found the polishes dried pretty quickly on my nails too despite not being classed as quick drying which is always a plus as I hate waiting for my nails to dry. As these are all gel effect polishes the finish is super rich and glossy and because they have been formulated and created with plasticiser technology it allows the polishes to resist chipping quickly so you get longer out of your iZ Beauty manicure. I'd say I got a good 3 full days wear out of mine before I noticed some chipping which I think is good considering how hands on I am at home and at work. 

Overall I'm completely obsessed with these polishes and shades, their so pretty for spring, they last well on my nails, they all apply easy, the packaging is cute and their affordable at £6.00 each, what more could a pastel loving gal ask for he he.

Have you tried any of the iZ Beauty Nail Polishes beaut's? What did you think? I'd love to know.

You can find the iZ Beauty 'Blooming Beautiful' Nail Polishes for £6.00 each HERE.

Embroidery 3 Ways With EGO Footwear

Hey beaut's!

The embroidery trend is huge right now and I for one am happy about that, theres nothing I love more than a floral, embroidered print and if your keen on being bang on trend this Spring/Summer then having some embroidery shoes in your wardrobe will be a super easy way to incorporate the trend into any outfit. Anywhoooo... Today I have three gorgeous pairs of shoes from EGO that fit perfectly in with the embroidery trend, I had no idea what to expect from EGO seeing as these are the first pairs of shoes I have from them but I'm so impressed, their so comfy, well made, reasonably priced and they really keep up with the trends too, and they even have some stunning Gucci Floral Mule dupes.

Harlow Floral Embroidered Lace Up Trainers In White Faux Leather £25.00

Lets kick things off with these gorgeous trainers, these are going to be such a staple for me during this Spring/Summer, their so easy to just throw on with jeans but can even be worn with shorts and little casual dresses when it warmer too. The pretty embroidery detail wraps around the side of each trainer which gives them such a cute, girlie feel despite being trainers, arhhh I love them so much. You can find more colour variations of these in the flat range from EGO here. 

Lala Pink Floral Print Ankle Boot In Faux Suede £34.99

Next up are the prettiest boots I think I've ever laid my eyes on. Now these beauties are totally out of my comfort zone, the boots actual shape and heel size is something I'd normally wear but I've never braved something so pattern heavy but these are stunning, their made up of a two tone floral embroidery pattern across the entire boot and heel with a faux black suede base. What I love about these boots is that their so versatile, they can easily dress up a casual outfit, add a pop of colour to a plain outfit and their also perfect for a night out. As well as being super pretty these boots are super comfy too, the 3 and half in heal is easy to walk in and my feet felt well supported too, I'm going to get so much wear out of these this Spring!

Taya Blue Floral Platform Heel In Black Faux Suede £34.99

Finally are these show stopping platforms, if your looking for that one pair of night out heels for the Spring/Summer then these bad boys have to be in your wardrobe. They might look simple from the front but the heel is where the parties at, just look at that blue embroidery design, arhhh its so pretty! Admittedly these heels are higher than I'm used to and the single strap around the ankle doesn't add a huge amount of support but if your used to heels then these will be a breeze for you to walk in I'm sure.

Have you ever bought any shoes from EGO before? Which pair are your favourite? I'd love to know beaut's!

Mother's Day Gift Guide 2017

Hey beaut's!

Mother's Day is just a week away now so I thought I'd do a little gift guide with a few idea's on what we could all buy our lovely, well deserving Mum's out there. I've tried to include as much as possible in this gift guide from more affordable options to gifts that are a little bit more expensive, I've thrown in some yummy chocolates for that Mum who has a sweet tooth, a luxurious face mask for the Mum who deserves to be pampered, gorgeous flowers, an afternoon tea experience which is actually what I'm taking my Mum on, perfume and even some beautiful lippies so hopefully I've got everything covered he he.

Charlotte Tilbury Dry Sheet Face Mask £18.00 / Lancôme 'La Vie Est Belle' Perfume Gift Set £49.00 / Cath Kidston Blossom Birds Classic Box Makeup Case £10.00 / Clinique 'Kisses' Gift Set £23.00 / Cath Kidston Pretty Pansies Stanley Mug £7.00 / Hotel Chocolat The Everything Collection £25.00 / Yankee Candle Pure Essence 3 Small Jars Gift Set / George Home Artificial Flowers In Tin Jug Home Garden £12.00

What will you be treating your Mum to this Mother's Day? I'd love to know beaut's!


 

Primark PS...Pro Oval Blending Brush Review

Hey beaut's!

Oval makeup brushes have taken the beauty world by storm over the last few months and I've certainly been chomping at the bit to try them out. I started seeing people on YouTube using and raving about Primarks offerings and seeing as their so affordable I thought it would be the perfect place to start, however...their so bloody hard to get hold of in my local  Primark, I've been searching since last November and it's taken me until February to finally be able to get one.

I decided to go for Primarks £4.00 Oval Brush, they have quite a few different sizes to choose from with prices varying from £2.50-£5.00, but I thought the £4.00 size would be perfect for foundation application which is exactly what I wanted an oval brush for. The brush itself has a plastic handle and is packed full of synthetic bristles that are nice and dense, I literally couldn't get over how soft the bristles where, I actually found myself stroking my face because it felt so nice he he, please tell me I'm not the only person who does this with their super soft makeup brushes.

After giving the Primark Oval Brush a whirl with my foundation I'm totally sold on the new oval brush trend, and will definitely be buying Primarks other sizes when I go in next. I found it buffed my foundation into my skin flawlessly in a matter of seconds without leaving any brush strokes or un-blended area's, the only problem I had was I found it quite difficult to get around my eye area and around my nose but I feel the next size down in this brush would be perfect for getting into those harder to reach areas. I've also really enjoyed using this brush for buffing in cream contour and highlight and cream blusher, which again it does in seconds, I honestly cant believe how quick this brush works, it's amazing!

The way I like to use my oval brush is by popping dots of foundation around my face and then buffing the foundation in -in circular motions, I tend to hold the brush quite high up and I also have one finger supporting the brush head at all times, I do find that the thinner piece of plastic that connects the brush handle to the brush head quite bendy so I juts like to give it extra support with my finger. I use the same technique when applying cream contour and blush too, I just pop lines/dots of the product where I want it and then go in with my oval brush to blend it all out.

Overall I'm so impressed with Primarks Oval Blending brush and will be buying all the other sizes next time I go in, I'm quite shocked that this brush actually came from Primark because the quality it super nice, it works so quick and easy, blends like a dream and I've not experienced any shedding bristles either which is a plus. 

Do you have any of Primarks Oval Blending Brushes beaut's? What did you think? I'd love to know!

Easter with Cadbury's - New In

Hey beaut's!

One of my favourite times of the year is creeping ever closer, yup Spring and more importantly Easter is just around the corner and I literally cant wait! I mean whats not to love - flowers in bloom, fresh sunny days, some warmth oh and a month to celebrate all things Chocolate he he. This Easter Cadbury's have brought back some old favourites and have also launched an egg-cellent new range which is sure to go down an absolute treat, whether your buying for a friend or loved one or you just need supplies for the kids Easter Egg hunt Cadbury's have got you covered!

One of the new editions I was excited about is the Mini Eggs 'Egg Hunt' Treat-Size 8 Pack (RRP £4.09), oh my I LOVE Mini Eggs so much and eat packets of them over Easter, but what I love about the new treat-size packs is that firstly you can ration the amount you eat so your not scoffing too much chocolate at once, but their also the perfect size for Easter Egg hunts, it's just not Easter without them is it.

Cadbury's have also made a change to their iconic hollow Dairy Milk Bunny (RRP £1.49) by adding popping candy for those wanting a unique taste experience, personally I find the popping candy on my tongue oddly satisfying he he. Of course the plain versions are still available too in a variation of sizes!

Another new yummy treat is the Cadbury Dairy Milk Egg'N'Spoon Oreo (RRP £3.99) these are super yummy and I actually like having them as an after dinner dessert. All you do is crack open the smooth Cadbury Dairy Milk chocolate shell to reveal a deliciously light and fluffy chocolate mousse in the centre with crunchy Oreo pieces within it, you even get two spoons too, how cute!

For those of you who are having an Easter Egg hunt Cadbury's have the perfect little Egg Hunt Pack (RRP £4.09), each pack contains 10 hollow Cadbury's chocolate eggs and a packet of Cadbury's Mini Eggs that can be given to the winner of the egg hunt, how cute!

Whats your favourite chocolaty Easter treat beaut's? I'd love to know!

This post contains press samples, all opinions are my own.