The Body Shop Himalayan Charcoal Purifying Glow Mask Review

Hey beaut's!

I have a slight addiction to face masks at the moment, I've just really been enjoying them and my skin is really thanking me for it. One mask I couldn't wait to give a whirl was The Body Shops Himalayan Charcoal Purifying Glow Mask, despite being a huge Body Shop fan I have never tried one of their face masks before so I really didn't know what to expect.

The Himalayan Charcoal Purifying Glow Mask* by The Body Shop (£16.00) is said to draw out impurities and refine the appearance of pores for healthy-looking skin with a glow that shows, sounds right up my street! The mask itself is a tingling clay mask which is infused with bamboo charcoal, green tea leaves and organic tea tree oil, and it’s been formulated without parabens, paraffin, silicone or mineral oil and is also 100% vegan.

The formula of the mask is quite thick and mud-like with fine grains of charcoal and green tea leaves mixed within it which act as exfoliants, the scent of the mask is quite strong with menthol and tea tree oil really coming through, it's not a horrible smell but if your quite sensitive to strong scents this might be something to consider. To apply the mask I like to use my Body Shop Facial Mask Brush* (£8.00) to smooth the mask on cleanly and thinly without wasting any product, I actually find it quite satisfying painting the mask on, kind of like I'm painting a picture and need to stay within the lines he he. Once I've perfected a nice even layer of the mask with my brush I simply let the mask do its thing for around 10 minutes or until the mask has completely dried, you will know when it's ready to be removed because as the mask dries it changes from a wet muddy light brown colour to a dry light green and goes really tight as if you want to crack your face, I love that feeling so much. As this is a tingling mask it does of course have a tingling sensation until it dries, personally I love this sensation and I only find it super intense if I whack on a very thick layer of the mask otherwise its a comfortable tingling feeling for me.

After the 10 minutes or so is up and the mask is dry I like to take some warm water and a flannel and rinse off working in gentle circular motions, this not only lifts the mask off but really works with those fine grains of charcoal and green tea leaves to deeply exfoliate my skin. Afterwards my skin is left feeling amazingly soft and smooth without any irritation, excess oils around my nose where removed, I felt really fresh faced with a healthy glow and my pores and blackheads around my nose have definitely been reduced over time since using this mask. 

Overall, I've been absolutely loving this face mask and have been using it 2-3 time a week without fail, it's just so nice and my skin loves it! If your looking for a mask to smooth, purify and unclog those pesky pores whilst also leaving you fresh faced and glowy I’d absolutely recommend giving The Body Shop Himalayan Charcoal Purifying Glow Mask a whirl.

You can find the Himalayan Charcoal Purifying Glow Mask and the Facial Mask Brush in store at The Body Shop or online HERE.  

 

The Body Shop 100% Cruelty-Free Vegan Makeup Brushes Review

Hey beaut's!

Not that long ago The Body Shop launched 10 brand new 100% Cruelty-Free Vegan Makeup Brushes with a range of face brushes and eye brushes to choose from, so all bases are covered. Each brush has been made with charcoal-coated, super-soft synthetic bristles and have sustainably sourced wooden handles too, making these brushes 100% friendly in every way, yay!

I've been giving four of the new brushes a whirl and my goodness I love them all so much, I had never tried any makeup brushes from the body shop before so I had no idea what to expect but I've been pleasantly surprised by the quality, they all apply the products beautifully, I've not experienced any shedding at all even when washing them, the bristles are honestly the softest bristles I've ever felt - I'm talking super super soft and the overall quality of the brushes is really good and they feel super expensive too. 

Lets kick things off with the Buffing Brush* (£14.00). I have been using this brush more or less everyday to apply my liquid foundation because the finish is just completely flawless, theres never any horrid brush stroke lines and it always blends my foundation into my skin perfectly in a matter or minutes, which is great if your in a rush but still want perfect skin. The bristles are densely packed together and hold their shape well, just like all the brushes you can use the buffing brush with creams, liquids and powders and it's a super versatile brush too and can blend in cream blush, bronzer and highlighter in a jiffy! It's most definitely a staple brush for me!

Next up is the Fan Brush* (£11.00), I only got into fan brushes last year and Ive been obsessed with them ever since, I tell ya beaut's if you haven't used a fan brush for highlighting your seriously missing out. The Body Shops Fan Brush is super soft and blends my highlighter in like a dream which I pretty much thought it would, you can also use this brush for subtly adding blush to your cheeks too, which I must admit I had never tried until now and I actually really liked it, I definitely recommend using a blush with a slight sheen to it to get the best 'glowy' effect.

Moving onto the eye brushes... Firstly I have the Flat Shader Brush* (£8.00), this little beauty has quite short, densely packed bristles perfect for creating more dramatic eyeshadow looks such as a killer smokey eye, it's shape is great for winging out and extending eyeshadow work and it can also be used to pack colour onto the lid or to smoke out eyeshadows underneath the eye too. 

Lastly I have the Double-Ended Eye Shadow Brush* (£10.00), this dual ended brush has a  slanted brush at one end, perfect for creating precise lines when doing gel liner or defined strokes when filling in my brows. The other end is a blender brush, this is such a staple brush, it blends out eyeshadow work really well and I've even used it under my eyes with concealers and really liked it too, it's such a versatile brush that takes less room up in my makeup bag because of it's dual purpose.

I'm super happy I finally go to try out some of the Body Shops makeup brushes, it's definitely given me the bug to try more from the collection that's for sure. Have you tried any of the Body Shop's makeup brushes beaut's? Which brush is your favourite? I'd love to know!

Christmas Beauty Baubles 2016

Hey beaut's!

Their are sooooo many Christmas beauty baubles out this year, brands have seriously upped their game and I'm loving them all so I just had to share my top picks with you all today. Personally I think beauty baubles work amazingly well as stocking fillers or for secret Santa's, their all super festive because of their bauble design, reasonably priced and still great little gifts at the same time that most beauty lovers would enjoy. My favourites out of all the baubles that I've featured in this post would have to be the Charlotte Tilbury Bauble, this contains Charlotte's popular Legendary Lashes Mascara and Rock 'n' Kohl Eye Liner in 'Bedroom Black' in mini form, it looks incredible. I'm also in love with all three of Too Faced baubles this year with a mini Better Than Sex Mascara, Lip Injection Lip Plumper and a Melted Liquid Lipstick to choose from. I think the Emma Hardie bauble is great too, it contains a miniature Moringa Cleansing Balm and Dual Action Cleansing Cloth which is amazing, I've gone through two fulls size pots of this stuff, so I think the bauble is a great way for a newbie to Emma Hardie to have a try.

The Body Shop Strawberry Soft Hands, Warm Kisses Gift £8.00 / GHD Sooth and Finish Serum Limited Edition Bauble £15.00 / Laura Geller 'Color Luster Kit' Christmas Gift Set £12.00 / No7 Gloss Shine Lip Duo £8.00 / Jo Malone Christmas Ornament £22.00 / Too Faced Lip Injection Lip Plumper Ornament £10.00 / Too Faced Better Than Sex Mascara Ornament £10.00 / Clarins 'Beauty Cupcake- Holiday Treats' Christmas Gift Set £10.00 / Charlotte Tilbury Legendary Party Eyes Bauble £20.00 / Merrily Moringa by Emma Hardie Amazing Face Bauble £15.00 / Too Faced Melted Liquid Lipstick Ornament £10.00 / GHOST Deep Night Bauble £8.00 / Zoella Deck the Baubles £5.00 / Soap and Glory Pink Twice £5.00

Will you be gifting any of these baubles this year beaut's? Which one is your favourite? I'd love to know!

My Beauty Advent Calandar Top Picks 2016

Hey beaut's!

Theres just 90 sleep's until Christmas and I cant tell you how excited I am, every things becoming that little bit festive now with websites starting to get their Christmas gifts in and Tesco's have got loads of their Christmas chocolates out so I thought I could just about get away with talking about all things advent calendars today, I done a post like this last year so I knew I wanted to follow suit and do one this year with my top picks! I've narrowed it down to just 10 even though their are sooooo many advents this year to choose from, I've chosen 9 beauty calenders and one candle calender, I hope you enjoy!

What Is It - Benefit Girl O’Clock Rock ’12 Days’ Calendar 2016

What's Inside-  Benefit always do amazing advent calendars and gifts for Christmas and this years 12 days of Christmas calendar really doesn't disappoint, although I do think it looks a bit young and it's not all that festive but hey ho. Behind all 12 windows is one of Benefit's best selling products in miniature including a mini Hoola Bronzer, mini they're Real Mascara plus so much more, all of which are perfect little samplers if you haven't tried them before or if you have they are a great size for popping into your handbag for when your on the go.

How Much Is It - £34.50 

It's Available From- 14th October on the the benefit website HERE.

What Is It - bareMinerals Countdown To Gorgeous Advent Calendar 2016

What's Inside - I believe this is bareMinerals very first advent calendar and it certainly looks the part, behind all 24 doors is a good mix of their lip glosses, lip balms, eye shadows, blushes, mascara's and even their skin veils, they've done an amazing job with this one.

How Much Is It - £75.00

It's Available From - 1st November on the bareMinerals website HERE.

What Is It - Ciate Mini Mani Month Advent Calendar 2016

What's Inside - Every year Ciate bring out their Mini Mani Month and if your into your nail polishes then this will be right up your street. The calendar is filled with individual boxes that contain 18 mini paint pots and 1 full size including 4 new and exclusive shades! Inside one box you’ll find a special limited edition surprise, alongside 1 mini treatment and 2 magical nail toppers, PLUS a sneak peek of a new nail care superhero! Sound amazing right, I'm also loving Ciates festive packaging this year, it's so pretty!

How Much Is It - £50.00

It's Available From - The Ciate Advent is available NOW on the Ciate website HERE.

What Is It - ASOS Beauty Advent Calendar 2016

What's Inside - Oh hello ASOS Advent Calendar... I was so excited when I heard about this. I mean how cool is it that ASOS have an advent calendar this year! Within the ASOS Advent theres a good mix of skincare, make-up and hair care products from brands such as Dermalogica, Elemis, Philosophy, Nip and Fab and Yes To, this is going to be a great all rounder for all ages I think and it's contents is worth a whopping £175!

How Much Is It - £50.00

It's Available From - The ASOS Advent is available NOW on the ASOS website HERE.

What Is It - The Body Shop 24 Happy Days Deluxe Advent Calender

What's Inside - The Body Shop are spoiling us beauty advent calender lovers with not one but three advent calenders to choose from this year, ohhhhhh! I love the design of this red and pink deluxe one which contains treats from the body shops bestsellers to brand new body care, skincare, makeup and accessories. The Body shops calendars do tend to be more on the pricey side but I think if your wanting to splurge on a calender this year then The Body Shop is the way to go because their products are just amazing!

How Much Is It - £80.00 (worth £127.50)

It's Available From - The Body Shop 24 Happy Days Deluxe Advent Calender is available now HERE.

What Is It - Boots No7 Advent Calendar 2016

What's Inside - I'm loving the look of this No7 Advent, it has 25 windows which each contain a mix of mini and full size popular No7 makeup and skincare products, rumour has it that theres even makeup brushes and tools inside too.

How Much Is It -  £40.00 (Worth £150)

It's Available From - No date as of yet but it will be available very soon at Boots.

What Is It - Tanya Burr 12 Days Of Christmas Beauty Advent Calender

What's Inside - The gorgeous Tanya Burr is back this year with her second advent calendar, shes stuck with the '12 days of christmas' theme and behind each window you'll find 12 extra special limited edition Tanya Burr treats so you can shimmer and sparkle on every occasion. The products within this are mostly glitters so think glitter nail polish, glitter pigments, glitter liner and sparkly glosses!

How Much Is It - £25.00 (Currently on offer for £15.00)

It's Available From - The Tanya Burr 12 Days Of Christmas Beauty Advent Calender is available now on the Superdrug website HERE.

What Is It - Makeup Revolution Beauty Advent Calendar

What's Inside - As you may know already I'm a HUGE Makeup Revolution fan so when I saw they where launching another advent calender this year I was soooo excited. This years calendar contains 25 windows, yes 25 windows which means your get a present on Christmas day too, theres eye shadows, lipsticks, lip glosses and even makeup brushes to find and I think it looks pretty cool to be honest! 

How Much Is It - £40.00 (Currently on offer for £30.00)

It's Available From - The Makeup Revolution Beauty Advent Calendar is available now on the Superdrug website HERE.

What Is It - NYX Beauty Advent Calender

What's Inside - Unfortunately I couldn't get a clear image of this yet but yes NYX are bringing out and black suitcase style advent calender which looks absolutely amazing! It will include long lasting lip colours and eye shadows plus more, I'm so excited for this! 

How Much Is It - £60.00

It's Available From - No date as of yet but it will be available very soon at Boots.

What Is It - Yankee Candle Party Pavilion Calendar

What's Inside - Now I know this isnt a beauty calendar but seeing as I'm a crazy candle lady theres no way I couldn't include this one by Yankee Candle. Inside this pavilion theres 20 Tea Light Candles and 4 Votives with scents including Christmas Memories, Winter Glow, Christmas Cookie, Snowflake Cookie, Bundle Up, All is Bright, Festive Cocktail, Macaron Treats, and Star Anise & Orange, what a fab selection!

How Much Is It - £29.99

It's Available From - The Yankee Candle Party Pavilion Calendar is available now HERE.

Let me know what you think of these advent calendars beaut's... Will you be buying one of these this year?? I'd love to know.

The Body Shop Down To Earth Smokey Grey Eyeshadow Quad Review

Hey beaut's!

I've always been a fan of The Body Shop and oh my goodness aren't their body butters amazing!!! However I've never tried any of their makeup before and their latest releases seemed the perfect way to start because they all look amazing! On the 26th July The Body Shop launched six all new eyeshadow palettes, five of which are little quads which are £15.00 each and theres a bigger eyeshadow palette containing 8 shades which is £22.00. Whats so cool about all of these new palettes is that all of the individual shades all click in and out of the palettes casing, so you can switch shades between palettes and quads and get customising your perfect palette!

The shades I've been testing out are from the Smokey Grey Quad* which I would say is the perfect night out palette as you can create a killer smokey eye with this beauty. Inside the palette theres a champagne coloured highlighter shade in a metallic finish, a matte dark grey, a glittery silver and the final shade within the palette is metallic gunmetal grey. Each shade is so buttery soft to swatch, highly pigmented, easy to use and they blend out beautifully, they don't crease or fall down and the lasting power is really impressive on me considering I have oily eyelids. These shadows also contain no petrolatum, no mineral oil, are 100% vegan and are suitable for the most sensitive of eyes which I can vouch for as my eyes are quite sensitive and I've had no problems with these eyeshadows what so ever!

Overall I absolutely love this palette and love the whole concept behind The Body Shops new eye shadow palettes. Theres four other quads to collect with gorgeous colour combinations and like this palette, all of the other palettes are customisable too. As for the price I'd say these are quite middle of the road, there not too expensive at £15.00 per quad but it’s not super cheap either, however the eyeshadows pans are a good size and the quality is very very good!

Have you tried any of the new Body Shop eyeshadow quads? Which is your favourite? I'd love to know!

Stocking Fillers | Under £10

Hey girlie's!!!

Today I'm back with some stocking filler idea's and what's best is that they are all under £10.00!!! I couldn't quite believe what cute little prezzies you can get now for under £10.00, its brilliant!!! Anyway enough of me rambling and onto the affordable goodie's ha ha...

The Body Shop Ginger Manicure & Moisture Duo £6.00
I think that The Body Shop do the most amazing gifts, they smell great, look great and most importantly the quality of the products is brilliant, and the Ginger Manicure & Moisture Duo certainly doesn't disappoint. The set includes a Ginger Hand Cream 30ml and a Nail File that has the cute ginger bread men design on it. I really don't think you can go wrong with this duo, I mean everyone needs hand cream at this time of year don't they?? 

Burgundy Mohair Mix Cable Knit Bobble Hat £5.99
I absolutely love these cute little bobble hats from New Look this year, so much so that I have actually bought myself 2 of them in different colours already ha ha. They are so soft and snugly and not itchy whilst on your head at all, and best of all they keep you nice and warm!!!

Real Techniques Setting Brush £6.99
Make-up brushes are sure to be a winner for any beauty/make-up lover, the reason I opted for the Setting Brush by Real Techniques is because I think its definitely a brush you would end up needed in your make-up brush collection but not a brush you would necessarily buy immediately yourself. The Real Techniques brushes are also amazing in quality and for £6.99 from thehut.com I think its perfect to pop in as a stocking filler.

Small Yankee Candle Jar in Red Apple Wreath £8.39
Now who wouldn't like a Yankee Candle in their stocking... I know I would!!! Red Apple Wreath is a mixture of sweet apples, cinnamon, walnuts and maple and as you can imagine it smells incredible!!! I think a candle makes a good all rounder present too, that most people would enjoy.

Cadburys Dairy Milk Winter Wonderland Chocolate Bar RRP £1.00
I couldn't do a stocking filler post without adding some chocolate, a stocking wouldn't be a stocking without some sort of sweet treat inside!!! The Cadburys Winter Wonderland Bar is the best of both worlds as its a mixture of milk chocolate and white chocolate in a cute Christmas Tree shape, yum!!!

Cath Kidson Christmas Mug RRP £6.50
How lovely is this Cath Kidson mug!!! I love Cath Kidson in general and I'm always lured in by the vintage floral designs but the Christmas mug lured me in even more. I think as the mug is Christmas themed your more likely to remember it through the years and you may cherish it that little bit more he he. I'm sure a brew tastes lovely from it too he he.

Liz Earle Christmas Star With Strengthening Nail Colour £7.50
Liz Earle have bought out some lovely gifts this Christmas and I think their Christmas Star is just lovely. You receive a gorgeous, long-lasting Strengthening Nail Colour in Moment in Time which is sure to surprise and delight, don't worry they're are other shades to choose from. The nail polish comes sweetly enclosed in a star shaped decoration with ribbon attached so you could hang it on the Christmas tree after you've opened if you wish which I think is a really nice touch.

4 Pack of Christmas Socks £4.99
Socks are always a winner for Christmas and I think this adorable festive themed 4 pack from New Look are great. They'll keep your tootsies warm and everyone appreciates a cute pair of Christmas socks ha ha.

Rimmel London Kate Lipsticks £5.49
If your looking for a good/affordable lipstick in the drugstore to throw in someones stocking it has to be the Rimmel London Kate Moss lippy's.... The quality of each lipstick is so good and the lasting power is phenomenal, the shade range is also lovely especially at this time of year.

I hope you enjoyed my Stocking Filler idea's for under £10.00 beaut's and I hope it's given you a few budget idea's on what to put in your loved ones stocking. Remember it's the thought that counts, you don't have to spend a fortune!!!