Luxury Face of the Day!

Hey beaut's!

The other day when I was doing my makeup I thought it would be kind of cool to whip out some of my luxury makeup and do my entire face with it all to see if there was much of a difference with wear and lasting power, this was actually super interesting for me as I never ever wear a full face of luxury makeup but I must admit my makeup did stay in place and looked pretty good all day without any patchiness! Anywho onto what I used....

Base

For my base makeup I kicked things off with MAC's Strobe Cream as a primer and MAC's Studio Sculpt Foundation, these two together give such a flawless glowy/dewy look to my skin which I'm all about. The MAC foundation is actually a shade too dark for me (I'm NW15, this foundation is NW20) so I can only really use it in the summer months when I have some colour to my skin, it's a shame I cant use this foundation all year round really because I adore the formula of this foundation. For concealer I used my Estee Lauder Double Wear in Light, this is super heavy duty concealer and covers so well yet it feels so lightweight on the skin, I'd totally recommend this if your looking for a heavy coverage concealer. To warm up my skin I used the Benefit Hoola Bronzer and Benefit Rockateur Blush which are both in my Benefit Real Cheeky Party Tin that I got last crimbo and to highlight of course I used my trusty Mary-Lou Manizer which admittedly I use every single day without fail. 

Eyes

For my eyes I used my very battered and bruised Urban Decay Naked Palette, I've had this palette for years, it was the very first luxury makeup item I ever got and I still love it and use it to this day. I'm really into the shade Sidecar at the moment, I've been wearing it all over the lid with some of Buck and Naked blended through the crease. For liner I went for my MAC Precision Liquid Liner to create my flicks and Benefit's Bad Gal Eyeliner on my waterline, and then I finished things off with a couple of coats of the Lancome Grandiose Mascara, which is an amazing mascara by the way! 

Brows
For my brows I've been keeping things super simple and just filling in any gaps or real sparse area's with my Benefit Goof Proof brow pencil and then setting everything into place with the Benefit Gimme Brow, brow gel. These two work so well together and the Gimme Brow in particular is such a favourite of mine, its literally the best tinted brow gel I've ever tried and because it contains tiny micro fibres that adhere to skin and brow hairs it  creates natural-looking fullness and definition, so you never get that fake, blocky looking brow. 

Lips
Lastly on my lips I went for my MAC Faux Lipstick which I've been obsessed with again recently, it's the perfect muted mauve/pink shade that goes with any makeup look day or night and the satin finish is my favourite.

What are your favourite luxury makeup items to use on a daily basis beaut's? Do you ever do a full face of luxury makeup? I'd love to know! 

Skincare Valentines Gifts for Him and Her! ♥

Hey beaut's!

Valentines Day is fast approaching so today I thought I would share couple of gift idea's with you all, I tried to think a little more outside the box with these, they aren't your typical perfumes/aftershaves, box of chocolates or flowers but luxury skincare from Cosme.De.com to suit him and her! I know skincare can be quite a personal thing but I think its always nice to try something new that you wouldnt usally pick out yourslef and because its luxury it's seems that little but more special and thought out.

Estée Lauder Resilience Lift 3-Piece Skincare Travel Set* £19.00

Firstly I have this gorgeous little travel set by Estee Lauder! Personally I think travel sets make amazing presents because you get a few goodies to try that you normally wouldn't pick up, so its a great way to discover new products, and as they are the smaller travel sizes I find you get just enough product to cast an opinion as to whether you really like it or not. The Resilience Lift 3-Piece Skincare Travel Set includes...

♥ Perfectionist [CP+R] Wrinkle Lifting/Firming Serum 15ml

This is a powerful wrinkle lifting/firming serum that claims to reduce the appearance of lines and wrinkles with exceptional speed, gotta love the sound of that ha ha. The Serum contains breakthrough CPR-75 technology that is proven to double your skin's natural collagen building power, which plumps up and smooths the skin. This does sound more for a mature woman but I've been using it loads and I'm in my 20's and I've found that it makes my skin feel and look fresher and radiant and works beautifully under foundation.

♥ Resilience Lift Firming/Sculpting Face and Neck Crème SPF 15 7ml

If you have dry skin like myself your going to love this! The Resilience Lift Firming/Sculpting Face and Neck Crème has a whip cream texture that super moisturising, after testing it out I've noticed that it does take a while to absorb into the skin so its best used at night as more of a night crème, when you wake up in the morning you'll be left with super moisturised, nourished skin .

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♥ Resilience Lift Firming/Sculpting Eye Crème 5ml

I do love a good eye cream because my eye area get dark a dry so I was so excited to try this and my goodness its a good'un! The Resilience Lift Firming/Sculpting Eye Crème contains an intensely nourishing formula which instantly hydrates the eye area, it also contains luminizing optics which blur the look of fine lines and helps reduce to look of darkness around the eye area. All in all this little beauty makes my entire eye area look firmer, brighter, smoother than ever, love this stuff.

All of the Estée Lauder goodies come in a cute Geometric Patterned Blue and Purple Cosmetic Bag that comes in so handy when travelling.

Clarins Men Grooming Collection* £30.00 

Next we have something for the man in your life... This Clarins Men Grooming set ranges from shaving foam to moisture balm and is simple enough for men to use on a daily basis whether their a beginner or pro in skincare. The set includes...

♥ Men Super Moisture Balm 50ml - Great for reviving the skins texture after shaving, the soothing, non-oily texture of the balm is best for normal to dry skin and will leave your man with exceptionally supple and smooth skin.

♥ Men Exfoliation Cleanser 2 in 1 125ml - This dual function cleanser and exfoliator regulates the complexion gently but effectively while making impurities disappear, it's great for that deep clean and banishing any flaky skin area's.

♥ Men Smooth Shave Foaming Gel 50ml - This Smooth Shave Foaming Gel is a must for any man, it physically and biologically reduces razor burn by creating a protective film over the skin, and prevents the development of bacteria and redness. For a close shave for all men, whatever their skin type.

♥ Men Anti-Fatigue Eye Serum 10ml - This effective Anti-Fatigue Eye Serum works to soothe and reduces dark circles, puffiness and wrinkles. The non-oily and lightweight formulation leaves his eyes feeling comfortable and moisturised.

The goodies all come in a masculine Navy Blue Travel Bag.

You can find these gifts sets along with lots of other Valentines gift ideas on the Cosme.De website, they have upto 60% off too, gotta love a bargain! 

What are you buying your loved one this Valentines?? I'd Love to know beaut's!

January Beauty Favourites ♥

Hey beaut's!

Finally I'm back doing my beauty monthly favourites!!! It's been a few months since I shared my last beauty favourites so I thought I'd get back on the bandwagon. I cant quite believe how quick January has whizzed past, it honestly scares me that the months go by so quick! Is anyone else not feeling this cold winter weather anymore? Don't get me wrong I love Autumn and the festive build up but I'm totally over winter now, bring on the Spring, warm sunshine, blue sky's ad pretty flowers ha ha.

 Anywhoooo today I thought I would share with you all the makeup and beauty products that I've been loving throughout January, so here goes....

Lush Snow Fairy Shower Gel + Rock Star Soap

To be totally honest I've been completely obsessed with Lush for the past few months and have been using their bubble bars/bath bombs in every bath I've had, but two things I've continued to use over and over during January is their Snow Fairy Shower Gel and Rock Star Soap. The Snow Fairy Shower Gel just smells incredible, it literally fills my bathroom with its sweet, bubblegum, candy floss scent and makes my skin smell just as scrummy ha ha. The Rock Star Soap I have used soooo much but it honestly never goes down, I can see it lasting me ages, I use it mainly to soap up my legs and under my arms before shaving and it works really well and shares that same gorgeous scent as Snow Fairy. Arhh I just love them both so much.

Makeup Revolution Pro Makeup Brushes

A few weeks ago Makeup Revolution finally launched their makeup brushes, this is something I've been waiting eagerly for and I'm sure I'm not alone in saying that. I've been using the brushes constantly  since I've had them and even though I do have my favourites I definitely think this is a collection most should try whether your a beginner or not. I obsessed with the Contour Brush and Stippling Brush, they are amazing and I cant seem to put them down he he. Check out my full review of the collection HERE beaut's!

Cheryl's Stormflower Eau De Parfum

I actually received the gorgeous Cheryl's Stormflower perfume for Christmas and have been using it alot ever since. The perfume itself is a perfect everyday fragrance, it's very fruity with notes of mandarin and nectarine yet it isn't overly orange-tastic as you may expect, however I do find it very tropical smelling too which I love. The bottle is also stunning and looks lovely on my dressing table. I have done a full review on Stormflower which you can find HERE.

Urban Decay Subversion Eye Lash Primer

Eye Lash Primers are something I've never ever tried before, I've just always thought they'd be pretty pointless until I received a little sample of Urban Decays Subversion Primer with my Urban Decay Perversion Mascara. I can honestly say I think I'll always use this little beauty before applying my mascara now because I find it makes such a difference, it makes my mascara go on so smoothly and makes my lashes look thicker, longer and they feel so much stronger too. I use this primer with any mascara not just the Urban Decay one that it came with, and each mascara performs so much better when I've applied the primer before hand, I'm 100% going to be buying the full size of this amazing product.

Beauty UK Glacier Gloss in Plum & Have a Go

I think the Glacier Glosses are quite new to Beauty UK but they promise a high impact shine and intense colour payoff and their certainly not wrong as I blooming love this gloss. Plum and Have a Go has literally been on my lips for most of January, it's not sticky like you would expect a gloss to be, it's super moisturising and the shade is just so pretty, all in all it's super comfortable to wear and it hasn't left my handbag for ages. 

Estee Lauder Double Wear Foundation in Fresco

I've been using my Estee Lauder Double Wear Foundation alot during the last couple of months and I seem to have fallen in love with it all over again. It really is a fantastic foundation, the coverage is amazing yet it still feels lightweight on the skin and it just makes my skin look perfect and  i've also noticed that it seems to prolong all of my makeup, keeping it in place all day. If you haven't tried the Double Wear foundation yet I'd urge you to do so as it's worth every penny.

Naked Lips Organic Lip Balm Superfruits

I got this Naked Lips Organic Lip Balm in my January Glossybox and have been obsessed with it ever since. The balm itself is 100% natural and packed full of oils so it has super moisturising qualities and generally makes me lips feel super smooth and nourished, it also smells incredible and tastes amazing which is an added bonus, it really reminds me of those little sweets called Love Hearts.

L'Oreal Mythic Oil

Hair oil's have never really been my thing until I tried L'Oreal's Mythic Oil, this stuff is lush. It's enriched with a special blend of avocado and grape seed oil, which seem to nourish my dry ends so much. I used 2-3 pumps of the Mythic Oil on my towel dried hair as I love to blow dry it in and then I use 1 pump on a daily basis on my dry hair, the formula just seems to spruce my hair up leaving it looking shiny, feeling nourished and supple, it seems to define my curls/waves too which I love!


What have been your favourite beauty products to use throughout January beaut's??? I'd love to know!!!

Everyday Festive Make-Up Look

Hey girlie's!!!

Today I thought I'd share with you all what make-up I've been loving to wear on a daily basis so far in December, plus I realised I hadn't actually done a make-up look post in a while (naughty me) so I thought I'd go for it. The look I've been loving is flawless looking skin, a very soft gold eye with a bright red matte lip, I think the combination of the gold eye and red lip is lovely throughout December especially over the festivities.

Anywhooo onto what make-up I used to create this look...

 To perfect my base I buffed in Estee Lauder's Double Wear Foundation in Fresco using my Real Techniques Buffing Brush, I love this foundation as it provides amazing coverage without looking cakey or too much, I then went on to conceal my dark under eye circles with my Collection Lasting Perfection Concealer in 1 fair. Then to set everything into place I used my Vichy Loose Setting Powder, I then finished off my base with a small amount of my Deborah Milano Blush in 05 Cherry.

I then went on to do my eyes, my favourite part he he...

I started off by packing the shade 'Half Baked' from the Urban Decay Naked Palette all over my lid and softly blended the edges, I then took the shade 'Buck' which is matte light brown and blended that through the crease, I didn't want to go to mad with the crease work as this is a day time look so I wanted it be quite subtle. I then used my Collection Extreme Felt Tip Liner in Black to line my upper lash line and added a small flick just to extend the eye ever so slightly. I lined my waterline with my Barry M Bold Black Gel Eyeliner and then took an angled brush with a small amount of 'Darkhorse' from the Naked Palette and used that sparingly under the lower lash line, I then finished of with a coat of  Rimmel Scandleyes Retro Glam Mascara. 

For the lips I started off by added some lip balm just to soften up the lips and get them nice and moisturised, I do this before I even apply any make-up at all as it gives the balm time to work. I then popped on my MUA Matte Lipstick in Scarlet Siren, its a gorgeous bright red that just screams Christmassy lips to me ha ha.

You could easily turn this daytime look into an evening look by added a darker shade through the crease and smoking it out or you could pack some loose gold pigment on the eye lid which would look pretty and sparkly. You could also add a darker more vampy lip and extend the liner, I could go on forever he he but in a nutshell its a very easy look to create either for daytime or for the evening. 

I hope you liked my easy everyday festive red and gold make-up look, any feedback would be great, I'm in no way a make up artist but I do try my best he he!!! 

What make-up look will you be wearing over the festivities??? I'd love to know. 

Have you entered my giveaway yet girlie's??? If not you can enter here.

Autumn/Winter Beauty Essentials | Part 2

Hey girlie's!!!

So I'm back with my second instalment of my Autumn/Winter beauty essentials, if you haven't already read part 1 you can check it out here beauty's.

Eyes

This year for the eye's I've been loving so many different shades from, golds to berry tones and even darker more smokey colours, all of which are great for Autumn/Winter. I can see myself using my 'Urban Decay Naked Palette' an awful lot, its got great neutral shades along with some great gold/bronze shades which look great for Autumn. A new favourite of mine that I've fallen in love with straight away is the 'Sleek Vintage Romance Palette' its got some fabulous deeper more sultry autumnal shades inside along with some beautiful gold shades too, again perfect for this time of year. And then onto my more affordable smokey option, i love the 'MUA Smokin Palette' as the name suggests its a great little palette for creating all different smokey looks for day or night and is a bargain for only £6.00. 

I can also see me using my 'Maybelline Color Tattoo in Metallic Pomegranate' all the time too, its makes a great eye shadow base or you can use it for a nice wash of colour over the lid if your in a rush. Check out my full review of the Color Tattoo here. 

Face

I love to switch things up abit with my base makeup when the colder weather arrives as your skin can start to appear more dull. I try to keep myself looking bright eyed a bushy tailed so to speak he he, the best place to start is by getting a nice radiance enhancing foundation, this will make your skin appear more awake, more glowy and no where near as dull as before, a great one for this is the 'Rimmel Match Perfection Foundation' giving you a light radiance affect, i would also highly recommend the 'Rimmel Wake Me Up Foundation' too. Also for you girlie's who like to opt for a heavier foundation in winter i highly recommend 'Estee Lauder Double Wear' it makes your skin look perfect and is great for wearing on evenings out, so it will come in handy for those Christmas Party's.

As for concealer, the 'Rimmel Wake Me Up Concealer' will again be great for popping under your eyes to dramatically brighten that under eye area making you appear more awake, it will also cover any dreaded dark circles. I also think a nice touch to finish your base makeup is a nice rosy blush, something that looks like the flush you can get on your cheeks when its really cold, the perfect one I've found for this is 'Sleek's Pomegranate Blush' I've done a full review on this blush recently which you can read here.

Moisturiser

Your skin often gets very dull looking and dry in winter months so its essential to keep your skin in the best condition you can. I have very sensitive dry skin anyway and have quite a strict skincare routine because of that so i just upgrade from Simples Light Moisturiser to their Rich Moisturiser, its more moisturising than the lighter version and keeps you moisturised for up to 12 hours which is great!!! It also works as a lovely base before foundation.

Hands

Its fair to say my hands and the cold weather really do not like each other!! My hands get so dry that my knuckles chap and bleed so a good hand cream is essential. I adore Soap & Glory's Hand Food, its a lovely hydrating hand cream that contains Shea Butter, Macadamia Oil and Marshmallow!!! It melts into the skin quickly which is great as i hate that sticky slippy feeling, it smells gorgeous and more importantly it really does add alot of moister back into my hands!! I also love that Soap & Glory do a little handbag size version of the Hand Food too which is great in the winter month's for any on the go SOS moments.

Starbucks Travel Mug

And lastly, not so much a beauty essential but still a definite essential in my eyes, a Starbucks Travel Mug!!! Great for on the go, to keep you nice and warm, and this way you can still enjoy countless cups of hot chocolate, tea or coffee even when you leave the house, perfect!!!

So that's my Autumn/Winter Beauty Essentials for this year along with all the products i mentioned in part 1. I still have lots more Autumn/Winter themed posts planned so keep em peeled girlie's he he.

What are your Autumn/Winter Beauty Essentials for this year??? Id love to know.