December Favourites

December has been a month full of parties, and therefore, lots and lots of make up and beauty products have been used. In fact, I found it difficult to narrow down to just these products. Anyway, lets get started.
 

Simple Eye Make Up Remover

With all these different party looks, I've found some eye make up removers just haven't been good enough, they either sting like mad, or require a lot of wrist action (!) and I just cannot be doing with that. I love Simple products, and this product has joined many of their others in my favourite skin care list. Its very soothing and only takes a couple of swipes to remove all the eye make up, fantastic!

 

Katy Perry Killer Queen Eau De Toilette
I am probably the worst person in the world at descriing scents so instead I am just going to explain why I like this perfume so much. Firstly, although the packaging is a tad on the tacky side, I love it! Its very similar to the Loverdose by Diesel bottle in the shape. This perfume is my favourite type of perfume, in that it is perfect for wearing in the day or evening as it has a sophisticated yet light feel to it. I have been wearing it practically non stop since I bought it after receiving a sample in a glossybox. I'm a fan of celeb perfumes anyway, but this doesn't feel quite so 'cheap' as some of the others out there. 
 

No 7 Smokey Eye Liner Brush
I got this brush in a No 7 gift set a while ago. I instantly liked this brush but, because of the current party season, I have been using it all the time to perfect the smokey eye look! Its great at creating a smudged smoky eye liner, or for using a shadow to line the eye. The No 7 brushes are great, I would recommend them anyway, but this brush is like none I have used before and I would definitely recommend if you like heavier or smokier eye make up!

OPI Nail Envy

My nails have been absolutely awful for the last few months and everytime I took to twitter to seek advice, I was constantly having Nail Envy suggested to me. And I can completely see why. The idea is that you apply this every day so it strengthens your nails to prevent them from breaking/chipping/splitting. I didn't think it would be quite as good as it actually is. I have a few friends who have the same problems as me so I will definitely be recommending this to them! In the space of 2 weeks using this, my nails are unrecognisable from their previous state. I've loved having stronger nails again.

Seventeen Mirror Shine Lipstick in Beehive

I posted a make up haul (see here) where I picked up this little beauty, and I absolutely love it. It is the perfect nude and has a lovely glossy finish to it. Its great to wear either in the day with simple make up, or with heavy eye makeup on an evening. The only downside is the naff packaging (it has a compact mirror inside) however I can very quickly forget that issue when using this lipstick. I would say it is a good dupe for Mac Hue in case anyone is interested.

 

Maxfactor Miracle Touch Creamy Blush in Soft Murano

I don't own many Maxfactor products, I just tend to skip past their stand. However I found this little gem hidden away in my blush collection and I've discovered a new found love for it. Its the perfect berry shade to give your cheeks that innocent flush of having been outside. The blush is very pigmented so hardly any is needed, and the consistency is easy to blend and work with. I have just been using my fingers, as I find a brush picks up to much of the product and then I end up with extremely rosy cheeks!

 

Collection Cream Puff Lip Cream in Fairy Cake

Out of all my favourites, this has been my number 1! I picked this up as it reminded me of the NYX Soft Matte Lip Cream and I wanted to see how they compare and, I have to say, I think this is a lovely product. It is described as a velvety soft matte finish lip cream which is exactly what it is, without being overly drying. The colour is subtle yet beautiful and works well with lots of other shades. If you are looking to try a matte lip product, I would definitely recommend these!

 

Emite Make Up Micronized Eye Shadow

I received this a couple of months ago in a glossy box and have recently been using it. Its a lovely pale, gold shimmery shade and is beautiful to use as a highlighter. I've also been loving using it all over the lid and teamed with a black eye liner flick, it has a classy finish to it. The eye shadow is very well pigmented and is very blendable, so all in all a lovely little eye shadow!

 

 What have you been loving this party season?

My Top 5 Winter Nail Polishes

 

I have only been painting my nails for about a year and a half, before that I had the awful habit of biting my nails (this habit does have a tendency to reappear on some occasions). So when I first discovered the wonderful world of nail varnishes, I didn't put much thought into what colours suited what season etc. However now, I love the bright and neon colours in the summer, pastels in spring, and for the autumn and winter, berrys and deeper shades take my fancy. So I thought I would show you my top 5 polishes that I love to wear in these colder months.

 

First up is Raspberry by Berry M. This shade sums up autumn in a colour, it is the perfect berry with a lovely gloss finish that the Barry M polishes have. I love wearing this colour as it is so wearable and goes with so many items in my wardrobe. Another Barry M shade I love to wear at this time of year is Mushroom. It is a pale, neutral shade which looks classy on its own, and is subtle enough for everyday wear!

 

Another polish I love to wear is Blue Eyed Girl by Rimmel. This shade is quite bright for this time of year, but the blue is such a lovely tone that I think it is perfect, especially for an evening out or a party.

 

I have a few George polishes in my collection, they're super cheap and they have a lovely glossy finish-plus they're very quick to dry! The shade Cupcake is a beautiful soft, dusky pink which I think is perfect for this of year. I quite like pairing this with Mushroom and wearing Cupcake on an accent nail.

 

Finally, Damson Dream by No 7 is a perfect festive party shade. Its a deep plum colour which looks beautiful, but the polish does need a few coats to get the desired look.

 

What's great about all of these shades is they all have great staying power, and they're all drug store so you don't need to break the bank to get beautiful, winter nails!
 

What are your favourite nail shades? I would love to know!

Christmas In Bristol

Christmas is by no means my favourite time of year, however I made a promise to myself to try and enjoy it this year! I loved all the decorations out and about so thought I would share with you all my snaps of Christmas In Bristol...

3 New Winter Eyeshadows

 

In the last few months I have developed a bit of an obsession for eye shadows. Whether they're individuals, in a trio or quad, or even a full palette-I have just become obsessive about expanding my collection! So on a recent 3 for 2 offer in Boots I decided to add further to my collection and invested in these three eye shadows, all of which seem to have a lovely Winter feel to them.

 

I think Bourjois eye shadows are so cute in their packaging, however I have never actually tried one until now. This shade is a perfect party shade. Its a glittery purple that can either be used alone for a more subtle look, or to build up colour or for a smoky eye look. The eye shadow itself is very well pigmented and very little is needed to create the desired effect. With a little help from eye shadow primer, this stays put for quite a while, however the initial glittery effect does fade.

 

Rimmel is my number one drug store brand, and their eye shadows are just amazing! I have a few of their eye shadow quads (you can see my Rimmel collection here) however I find their single shadows are a bit different and seem to be more pigmented and more blendable. I got the shades Azure and Smokey Quartz. Azure is a very pale blue which is lovely to use as a highlighter shade for the brow bone or the inner corners of the eyes. Smokey Quartz is such a wearable shade, its lovely on its own or teamed with other bronze-hued neutrals. I think both these shades are perfect Winter colours, Azure has a slight icey feel to it, yet Smokey Quartz is very warm.

 

I really like my new eye shadows and I have been wearing them a lot! I'm loving the party season and planning all of my different looks!

 

Has anyone else tried these shadows? I would love to know :)

Make Up Haul

 

You might have caught my Primark haul ( click here ), in which I mentioned that I am living on a tight budget in the new year. So in preparation for this I went on a big shopping trip and stocked myself up with lots of goodies to see me through the next few months!

My favourite Rimmel Stay Matte powder has hit pan so I am using it rather sparingly. Obviously this isn't going to last me three months, so the first thing on my shopping list was a new powder. I wanted to try a different one, and I love the Revlon Nearly Naked foundation, so I thought I would give the powder a go. I picked up the shade 010 Fair, although I have to say the selection of shades wasn't great.

I then moved onto the Sleek counter, where I picked up a new blush in Life's A Peach and the Face Contour Kit in Light. I really like the blush I already have ( see here ) so I was keen to try another, and a few people have compared Life's a Peach to Nars Gina. I have seen the Contour Kit on a few blogs now so could no longer resist! I have been quite adventurous with my contouring as of late, so I'm pretty eager to try this out!

The next stand I came to was Seventeen. They've had a bit of a rebrand in the last few months, and have released a few new products (see my thoughts on their 3 way highlighter here ). I was after a new concealer to try, so thought I would give this one a go and see if it can live up to the heavily loved and worshipped Collection Lasting Perfection concealer. I have also been after a couple of nude lip colours to wear, so I picked up Seveteen's Mirror Shine Lipstick in Beehive, which has a beautiful glossy finish and is very wearable. I also picked up Natural Collection Moisture Shine in Rose Pearl, which has more of a matte finish but is equally as beautiful a shade.

The next stand I hit, where I did the most damage, was Bourjois. I have really been loving Bourjois recently, I think they have such a great selection of products. They also had an offer on where if you spent more than £15 on Bourjois goodies, you received a free gift worth £29! Who can resist?! So I picked up the Colour Boost in Plum Russian. I love the Colour Boosts, they're so glossy and well pigmented, and this shade is such a lovely plum for this season. I also bought an Intense Smoky  Eye trio, which includes two eye shadows (a pale silver and a teal) and a liner (also a teal). So this meant I had spent enough to get the free gift which included a nail polish, another Smoky Eye trio, a Volume Glamorous Max Holidays mascara and a 3D Effect Lip Gloss.

The last couple of things I got was another Barry M Matte polish. I got the shade Vanilla which is very similar to Models Own Utopia, but has the matte finish to it which I love! And finally I got another Scandaleyes eye shadow paint in Rich Russet. This paints are brilliant to work on their own or to add colour to a smoky eye or another shadow.

Wow that was a long post! I never realise just how much I buy until I have to write up the blog post!

Has anyone else tried and tested any of these products? Please let me know your thoughts!

Vampy Lips

 

 

Now I know Halloween is well and truly over and, in fact, it is a distant memory to us all, but during the Halloween party period I picked up this Collection lipstick in Scorned from their Gothic Glam collection. I bought it with the thought of wearing it during the cold months (i.e. NOW) as the deep plum shade is so beautiful and wearble in Winter.

 

This shade is extremely dark, much darker than I first anticipated. I wore it out to dinner with my Nan and she was worried I might suddenly turn gothic/emo/whatever the modern term is, however I quickly reassured her I was trying out a new lip shade (although surely my blonde hair and floral print dress reassured her more than that?!). I asked on twitter a couple of times what makeup is best to wear with a deep shade as I had no idea where to start. I decided on simple makeup and hair so that all the focus was on the lips.

 

On first impressions, I do like this shade however I don't think it suits my pale skin. Also, I found this lipstick ddn't last very long and due to it being such a noticeable shade, I was constantly checking and applying more throughout the evening.

 

Although I liked experimenting with new makeup and shades, I don't think this one is for me. It is just way too dark, maybe someone with a darker skin tone, or a brunette?!
 

Has anyone else had similar problems?

3 New Brushes

Ever since I got my Real Techniques Core Collection, I have wanted more and more of their brushes. I decided to go for the Blush Brush, the Stippling Brush and the Setting Brush.

 

The Blush Brush is the one I wanted the most-due to my original blush brush being pretty rubbish. This brush is the perfect size for me to apply powder blush onto the apples of my cheeks, its also very soft so I can really control the amount of colour in my cheeks by lightly dusting the brush over my cheeks.

 

I had heard of the Stippling Brush the most out of all three of these brushes so I was eager to try it out. I have been using it to apply cream blush and highlighter. I do like this brush as it makes applying these products much easier however its very difficult to control the amount of product you apply. When I first started using this brush I would end up with really rosy cheeks or really shiny highlighter, but since I have managed to learn a technique that works a bit better for me.

 

The Setting Brush is the one I have used the least. Its a lovely brush, I just forget about that step of applying my make up. I bought it with the intention of using powder to set my concealer under my eyes and in any other awkward areas, however I forget to do it most of the time! The times I have used this brush its worked lovely, and has had the desired effect. I think the more I get used to using it the better really.

 

So out of them all, my favourite is probably the blush brush just because its so lovely and easy to use, and applies just the right amount of blush to my face.

 

Has anyone else tried any of these brushes?