Blogmas Day 3: Recent Beauty Favourites

So I was doing really well for day 1 and day 2 and then missed a post yesterday and Wednesday! So I am a 2 days behind but that means that 2 day there will be 2 posts, yay! As I was absent for so long I decided that rather than doing a November favourites I would just talk about the products I have been loving since September so here goes,

Body Shop Tea Tree Skin Clearing Toner

The winter months have really been affecting my skin and I have broken out big time! I have been having spots here there and everywhere and not much has helped, except this. Tea Tree works amazingly on my spots and this toner is perfect to help combat all the pesky buggers! I use this toner every morning and night and it really helps to clear up my skin. I tend to use this all year round, even when I don't have spots because it really helps maintain clear skin and I can really notice when I haven't used it! Body Shop have a 40% off voucher floating around at the moment so if you are interested in trying this I would recommend getting it now for cheap!

Sleek Blush in Suede

I think this might be one of the first blushers I ever bought and it is still going strong! ( I know I should probably chuck it away.) I would say that this a blush/bronzer hybrid because it is very much on the brown side but is so lovely. I had completely forgotten about this but recently rediscovered it and I am in love. I think this is the perfect thing to wear on your cheeks for a subtle pop of colour. I am not sure if Sleek even still do this colour but if they do I will link it below!

Soap and Glory One Heck Of A Blot

I have never really been much of a powder person but in recent months my skin has tended to be on the oilier side so I have had to invest in more powders. I have tried quite a few but this has to be my favourite. I know loads of people rave about this but it really is worth the hype. It keeps oil at bay all day whilst not caking up and leaving you looking like a hot mess, so massive thumbs up for this!

MAC All That Glitters

I am in love. I did a whole post about how much I love this so I will link that below so I don't repeat myself too much. Basically if you are going to buy one mac eye shadow I suggest that you get this one. It is just the most perfect colour and I think I wear this nearly every day. It is perfect for an all over colour for day to day but also looks fab with a dark colour blended into the crease. This is just the best!

Real Techniques Brow Brush

I love a good real technique brush and when it comes to their brushes this is one of my favourites. A lot of the brow brushes I have used before have been quite flimsy and therefore haven't applied the powder to my brows well enough. This however is not at all flimsy and applies the powder I use amazingly. I have shaked up my brow routine a little recently so stay tuned for a post all about my new favourite brow product.

Rimmel Wonder'Full Argan Oil Mascara

Mascara is a funny one for me. I have tried so many mascaras out but I have never found one that I am completely in love with. I picked this mascara up from Boots back in August with high hopes that I might finally find a holy grail mascara, now I wouldn't say this is holy grail but it is pretty close. This mascara is amazing at lengthening and separating your lashes without making them look like spider legs. This does have Argan Oil in which improves the quality of your lashes, I don't know if it has done that but I have noticed that a lot less lashes fall out then they use to! Overall this is a really solid mascara and I will definitely be repurchasing it. My tip for this is to make sure the lid is always on really tight because it works much better when the formula is nice and wet. Again I have written a whole post about this which I will link below!

That is it for my recent favs, I have deliberately not included any lip products in this post because I will be doing a whole post about my favourite winter lip colours so make sure to pop back for that tomorrow. Let me know what you have been loving recently because I am currently looking for more things to put on my Christmas wish list! Hope you enjoyed and thanks for reading,

Laura xxx

All That Glitters Review

Rimmel Mascara Review

Blogmas Day 1: 21st Birthday Haul Part 1

Well writing a blog post again feels weird! It has been a long long absence but I am actually really excited to try get back on it. So to kick off getting back into blogging I thought I would start with one of my favourite posts to read and write, a haul. Now this isn't you average haul it is my birthday haul! A couple of weeks ago I celebrated my 21st birthday and had such a fab weekend. If any of my friends or family are reading this I just want to say a massive thank you for making it so special, especially my housemates who made my actual birthday so fun and special! Now before I start crying all over my laptop lets get into what I got!

First up from my Auntie and Uncle I got the Real Techniques Nics Picks Make Up Brush Set. Can we just all appreciated how nice the silver holographic colour looks on these brushes, makes such a nice change from the usual orange/purple.This is a limited edition brush collection set that features 2 already existing brushes, the Duo Fibre Face Brush and the Base Shadow brush as well as 3 exclusive brushes just for this set. The exclusive brushes are the Cheek Brush, Angled Shadow Brush and Eyeliner Brush. I have already had a play around with all these brushes and I love them all! Real Technique brushes are some of the best brushes out there and these are the same standard as all the other brushes in their collection. My favourite at the moment is the duo fibre face brush, which I have been using to apply bronzer, simply because it is so so soft! I am so so happy with this set and can't recommend it enough. Remember it is limited edition so make sure you snap it  up quick! 

Staying on the brush front my lovely friends also got me a MAC 217 Brush! I have somehow never owned this brush before! I think this brush has to be the MOST talked about brush in the blogging community and now I finally have my paws on this I can tell why. This brush is completely changing my eyeshadow game, it blends even the worst eyeshadow out perfectly and is so soft I could rub it all over my face all day. This does have quite a hefty price tag on it but as Christmas is approaching I would definitely put this on your wish list because it is a must have!

Staying on the MAC theme I also got the Objections of Affection Pink and Rose Pigment and Glitter Collection. This little set features 5 glitters and pigments all with a pink tone to them. Each one is so gorgeous and just gives any eye look a little something special. I am still loving my Urban Decay Naked 3 palette and I think these would look fab when I am doing eye looks with that! This is again a limited edition set for Christmas and I think would make a perfect gift so if you are interested in getting this make sure you get it quick because I think they are already selling out online.

Now onto my favourite subject, lipstick. This birthday I did very well lipstick wise getting 2 lipsticks and both from Topshop. First up is Macaroon. This is a lovely light pink colour which is the perfect your lips but better colour! I have been wearing this loads since my  birthday as it is so easy to use and just leaves your lips looking gorgeous! Now onto the other end of the lipstick spectrum with Hazard, this is a beautiful dark red colour. I actually owned this colour once before but managed to lose it after wearing it only once so I was so happy to get it again. This colour will be perfect for this time of year and I can see myself wearing this a hell of a lot during the Christmas party season!

So I have by far left the best to last and I am not actually sure if I am going to have the words to talk about this but here goes. So my best friends bought me one of the best presents a make up junkie could ask for, Charlotte Tilbury Luxury Palette in The Dolce Vita. Yeah I said it, a bloody Charlotte Tilbury Palette!!! I think this must have been on my beauty wishlist for a year or so now and I am so so happy to finally have it! I literally had to stop several times when I was opening this because I was crying with happiness so much, (my mum could not understand this at all, but it was an emotional time!). I have only used this once so far but it is honestly stunning. All the colours are so creamy and just blend out perfectly (especially when I use my 217) and the glitter is so pigmented. Basically I love it!

OK so that is it so far for part 1! I will be posting another birthday haul tomorrow so make sure you come back for that so you can see all the other beauty bits I was lucky enough to get! Hope you enjoyed and thanks for reading,

Laura xxx

Blogmas: I am attempting to do blogmas this December which means I shall be posting a blog post every single day the whole way through December! 

Why Have I Never Bought This??

Whilst out shopping this week I paid my usual visit to MAC to have a little browse and also to check out the new Simpsons Collection (I am yet to make a purchase from this line). Whilst swatching away at some eye shadows I stumbled across this little beauty, a well blogged about eye shadow but one that I had never given a proper look at, All That Glitters.

I don't think I have ever quite loved an eye shadow as much as I love this one! The colour is the most perfect golden shimmery prettiness. It is a perfect all over lid colour but I have also used it blended into the crease for a subtle golden smokey eye. The texture of all MAC shadows are really good, and this is the same. The almost creaminess of it makes it super easy to blend and just looks awesome!

I can't believe it has taken me this long to buy this thing! What was I thinking? Have you guys tried this? and do you love it like me? I don't think there is much else to say about this little pot of beautifulness except go buy it! I will be back on Friday with a look at my nails of the week. Hope you enjoyed and thanks for reading,

Laura xxx

A Little Late August Favourites

As usual I am a little unorganised so this post is a week or so late but alas we are here and these are my favourite products from August (and also maybe July because I can't remember if I did a July favourites!!) 

First up is a very recent purchase because I literally only bought it at the very end of August and it is this Primark Cleansing Sponge Thing (I unforunately don't know the proper name!). On my latest trip into Primark I noticed that the beauty section had had a massive expansion and there was loads of fun new stuff there that I was very eager to try out. I picked up a gel eye mask and also a grater for my disgusting feet, sorry for the TMI, but this was the most exciting thing I picked up. This is basically a little rubber disk with tiny little rubber bristles on. I have been using this every single morning and night with my cleanser and I love it! My skin has been a little problematic recently but I really feel like this is helping it get back to its good old self, and for only £1.50 it is such a bargain!

Now my second favourite is actually a purchase from way back last year but one I seem to have rediscovered recently. My skin was been on the oilier side recently so I have been desperately rummaging in my foundation drawer for an oil free foundation and this one has really stepped up to the job. The Collection Lasting Perfection Ultimate Wear Foundation isn't one that is talked about a lot and is often outshined by its concealer friend but I think it really deserves its time in the limelight! This stuff stays on your skin for ages and provides really good coverage but without feeling super heavy on your skin. This foundation doesn't have any amazing colour range and the one I have is little too dark to for me but mixed in with a little bit of a light colour and it is spot on!!

Hold up everyone I have another eyeliner in my monthly favourites, what the hell is happening!! This Lord and Berry SMUDGEPROOF Waterproof Eye Liner in #719 Smoke* was very kindly sent to me but I have to admit at first I wasn't that excited! I am not a massive eyeliner girl but this ones seems to have helped converted me! Firstly I think the colour is really beautiful and is a really nice change from black or brown. I mostly smoke this out and use it under my bottom lashes but recently I have been using it on my eyelids when I'm doing a smokey eye for a little added depth. This is the first thing I have tried from Lord and Berry but if the rest of their stuff is as good as this I will definitely be giving some more of their stuff a go. 

Last up is a product that I never actually thought I would love. When MAC release their limited edition collections I can't help myself and I end up buying almost everything from the collection and that is why this MAC Kelly Osbourne Powder Blusher in Cheeky Bugger  was purchased. Don't get me wrong I never hated this product but I just thought it was something that would never wow me but wow was I wrong! This is actually just the most perfect blusher, the subtle pink colour really works with my complexion and just compliments my bronzer and highlighter really nicely. Most days I have found myself leaning for this and I can't see that changing. 

I feel like I have been typing for ages, my little fingers are exhausted!! But there you have it all my favourites from the last month. What have you been loving this month? I will be back on Wednesday for a look at a cheeky new MAC purchase, make sure to follow me on Bloglovin so you don't miss that post. Hope you enjoyed and thanks for reading, 

Laura xxx

Lord and Berry Eyeliner* - http://www.hqhair.com/lord-berry-smudgeproof-eye-pencil-various-colours/10661203.html?autocomplete=productsuggestion

Collection Foundation- http://www.boots.com/en/Collection-Lasting-Perfection-Ultimate-Wear-Foundation-SPF-20_1436025/

My Favourite Summer Lipsticks (And One Lipgloss!)

It is far to say that we are definitely in summer! The weather has been lovely for so long now and when it is this hot I can not stand wearing make up so my routine has basically been concealer, eyebrows, eyeliner, mascara, cream blush and then LIPSTICK. We all know I am a massive lipstick junkie, I have an eyewatering amount, so I thought I would share with you some of the ones I have been loving this summer, 

Topshop Lips In Alibi

I picked this up in May on a shopping trip to London and it has been a firm favourite ever since. I tend to have trouble with nudes but this seems to be an almost perfect peachy nude lipstick. It is fairly sheer, so if you want a more opaque nude this probably isn't the lipstick for you, but I think it is great to just put on when you are in a hurry and picking a lipstick is just too much effort!! 

MAC Amplified Lipstick in Chatterbox

This lipstick has and will always have a very special place in my heart. I heard Tanya Burr talk about this ages ago and this was my first ever MAC purchase. I am now on my second stick, and I think this will be an eternal repurchase. This is just the prettiest pink colour, it gives a simple make up look a lovely pop of colour and looks great on so many skin tones! This is one of the amplified lipsticks so it does have a really lovely sheen to it as well.

MAC Cremesheen Glass in Playful Petal

Unfortunately this is a limited edition lipgloss but I just had to include this. I have powered my way through this tube of lipgloss at an insane pace and I'm not even sorry. This is lovely on it's own but it is also great over other lipsticks to give a bit more glittery sparkle. My only problem with this is that it is limited edition so I am not going to be able to repurchase it (cue tears). If you guys know of any dupes for this lipgloss please do let me know though because I can't not have this in my life.

Revlon Just Bitten Kissable Balm Stain in Rendezvous

So I know everyone is loving the matte Revlon balms but I like the recycle so I have pulled out a balm stain from last summer which I hated and have managed to make it work. As a ginger girl orange lipsticks don't really work for me but over the last couple of weeks I have been feeling brave and tried to make it work with this balm and I have to say I like it! These balms are all fantastic, so pigmented and nourishing on the lips. This colour is a really flattering orange for me and also smells really nice and minty.

Bourjois Rouge Edition Velvet in 03 Hot Pepper

I am still loving these things! I have been using this almost solely when I have wanted a red lip because 1, it is the nicest red! 2, it stays on for hours (and I mean hours), and 3, I am loving a matte lip. I have raved about these enough so I am not going to say anymore except if you don't own one, go buy one!

So they are the lipsticks I have been loving recently. What lipsticks have you been loving this summer? Make sure to give me a follow on Bloglovin so you never miss a post, and come back tomorrow for a review of one of the Make Up Revolution Blush Palettes. Hope you enjoyed and thanks for reading (I'm off to enjoy the sun!),

Laura xxx

Recent Beauty Favourites

So I was going to do a June favourites but we are over half way through the month now so I think I might be slightly too late for that party. Instead I thought I would just talk about some things I have been loving recently, so right through from the beginning of June till now. I'd grab a cup of tea because I think this could be a long one!!

Tangle Teezer

I feel like everyone and their mum has one of these and I didn't jump on the tangle teezer train for ages but I am so glad I have. This is probably the best brush, if you can call it that, that I have ever used. It is so gentle on your hair but also gets out every knot, tangle and anything else you may have in your hair! I use this on my hair both wet and dry and it works amazingly both ways. I can't imagine every going back to a traditional type brush after using this. 

Urban Decay Naked 2 Palette

Since getting all the Naked palette I have developed quite the attachment to Naked 3, all the colours in there are just me colours and 9 times out of 10 I will always reach for that one. I was feeling daring though and when I went to Greece I decided to leave Naked 3 at home and bring Naked 2 away with me. Having that as my only palette to use made me realise how lovely it actually is. I tried to mess around with the palette and use every colour but I did end up with 3 favourites. My first favourite is Half Baked, which is a lovely coopery bronze colour. I think this is perfect for an all over lid colour. I also really loved Snakebite and YDK which are both awesome for in the crease. I think Naked 2 is quite a sexy palette if that makes sense? So it was a nice change from the pink girliness of Naked 3. 

Hawaiian Tropic Silk Hydration After Sun Coconut and Papaya Fragrance

I think I have harped on about this after sun quite enough but I genuinely really really love it! Aftersun is obviously a must for post sun skin but I love this so much because it just smells so good! Over my 2 holidays this year I have managed to get through nearly a whole bottle and even now that I am back I have carried on using it because it smells amazing!! If you guys want a great aftersun I would recommend trying this out. 

No7 Skin Illuminator Radiance Boosting Beauty Fluid

So this is a bit of a different product for me. My mum loves No7 and she got this little sample size free in a goodie bag with a few other products. I decided she wouldn't use that so snatched it away for myself! As the name suggests this is an illuminator/highlighter thingy. I have been using this in 2 ways and love it. So first up I just apply this after primer but before foundation for an all over glowy look. I have also just used this as a liquid highlighter and applied it to my cheekbones over foundation, both ways leave you with beautiful glowing skin!! I think this product will be great for autumn/ winter time as well when your skin has lost its summer glow.

MAC Plink and MAC Pussywillow

So separately these are both favourites but together they are my most favourite lip combo at the moment! As you can see the lipstick looks a little bit worse for wear thanks to an exploding nail varnish whilst I was travelling! I picked Plink up in May when I was on the hunt for a perfect nude. I have never had much luck with nude lipsticks, they tend to make me look like I have just rubbed concealer all over my lips, not a good look! This lipstick however has the perfect amount of nudeness and pinkness to make my lips look lush (well I think so anyway). This lipgloss is from the Sharon Osbourne collection and is just the loveliest shimmery nude. Again I love this on its own but when I put it over Plink, wow! My lips look good (I think!).

So those are my most recent beauty favourites. I will definitely be back doing the regular monthly favourites post for July I just need to get my organisation skills together! Please come back tomorrow where I shall be doing a 'brand focus' post where I review loads of products from 1 brand! Give my little blog a follow on Bloglovin, hope you enjoyed and thanks for reading,

Laura xx

Feeling Cheeky; My Favourite Summer Blushers

I am definitely a lip product girl. I literally hoard lipsticks and whenever I see a pretty new shade I buy it but recently my love for all things lip related has dwindled and I have found myself thinking all about the beauty of the blusher! It is fair to say I have a fair few blushers now and I thought I would share my favourite ones for this time of year. Some of them are new and some old favourites but I will try and find the links for all of them below in case you want to get your hands on them!

Collection Shimmer Shades in 2 Blushalicious

This is an old favourite but one I tend to lean for all the time, especially in summer. This blush quad is made up of 4 lovely colours, all very wearable on their own, but what I do is just rub my brush around and use all 4. Combined this creates a lovely bright pink colour which looks awesome on the cheeks. This stuff comes out fairly pigmented so a light hand is needed with this!

Benefit Coralista

Everyone loves this blusher and I am no different! This is just such a beautiful colour, it has the perfect amount of coral and peach tones without being orangey. I only have a little 3g sample of this but when it runs out I will be purchasing the big one! This leaves your cheeks looking so glowy and lightly flushed, great when you have a tan!

Rimmel Lasting Finish Soft Colour Blush in 010 Santa Rose

This is really an old one! I think I have had this for like 3 years? Which is probably far too long but it is simply amazing! I think this is probably one of my favourites blushers ever. It is a really nice coral blush but with a pretty pink tone as well. This warms up your cheeks and gives you that summer glow. I think this is a product that has fallen seriously under the beauty blogger radar so I really really really recommend you go check this out!

Natural Collection Blusher in Pink Cloud

As brands go Natural Collection is not one to write home about but when it comes to their blushers it is a complete other story! I have 5 or 6 of them and they are all fantastic, really pigmented and long lasting, this has to be my fav though. This is a true pink blush which just gives life to your cheeks. This doesn't go onto your skin bright pink so don't use it cautiously, just go for it! 

MAC Mineralize Skinfinish in Stereo Rose

Now unfortunately this is a limited edition product so unless you check out Ebay you probably won't be able to get your hands on it but I had to put it in here because it is so pretty!! I guess this is technically a highlighter but I think the rose gold colour makes it perfect for a blush/highlighter mix. I use this all the time, some times just on its own and other times on top of a more matte blusher to just add some extra glow. I am completely obsessed with rose gold at the moment and I think it is because of this blusher.

ELF All Over Color Stick in Pink Lemonade

I thought I would sneak this in the end as something a little different. When it comes to the hotter months cream products become my best friend because powders just feel far too heavy and this is just a great example of an awesome cream product. This is supposed to be multi purpose so you can use it as a blusher and also as a lipstick (which I have tried and don't overally like). I like to apply this straight from the stick then blend it out with brush for a lovely sheer glimmer of colour.

So that is a little look into what I am enjoying rubbing on my face blusher wise. What are you guys loving on the blusher front at the moment? Follow me on Bloglovin, link below and to your right, and come back over here tomorrow for a look at what I am packing for my holiday for Greece next week! Hope you enjoyed and thanks for reading, 

Laura xxx

P.S- I found the Rimmel Santa Rose blusher online but the picture didn't look the same as the one I have, so I am not sure if they have changed the names? or if it was just a bad picture!

Collection Blusher- http://www.boots.com/en/Collection-Shimmer-Shades-Blushalicious-Blusher_1219426/

Coralista- http://www.benefitcosmetics.co.uk/product/view/coralista

Rimmel Blush- http://uk.rimmellondon.com/products/face/lasting-finish-soft-colour-mono-blush

Natural Collection- http://www.boots.com/en/Natural-Collection-Blushed-Cheeks_24279/

Stereo Rose -Limited Edition

Elf Color Stick- http://www.eyeslipsface.com/elf/face/shimmer/all_over_color_stick

Osbourne Collection at MAC

When it comes to a MAC collection I turn into a mad women and literally want to purchase all of it! My favourite collection this year so far has to be the Fantasy of Flowers collection which included the stunning Mineralise Skin Finish in Stereo Rose which is constantly in my make up bag but I think a new favourite may have just wandered into my life in the form of the Kelly and Sharon Osbourne Collection.

I went into my local MAC store the day this collection came out just for a little look at the products in person, I had already read so many reviews but wanted to give everything a little swatch and play with before deciding on what products I definitely wanted to buy. But as usual I lost control of my spending and ended up buying 2 little things! There are definitely a lot of things from this collection that I am still eyeing up (both the quads in particular) so this is just a little taster because I am sure I will be running back to MAC very soon. 

I love the packaging for both the girls and because of this wanted to make sure I got something from both lines. From Kelly I finally decided on the Blusher in Cheeky Bugger.  This is a satin finish blush which goes on a pretty understated rosy peach colour. I love a bright pink blusher so I was initially drawn to Sharon's blusher in Peaches and Cream which is much brighter but I decided to try something slightly different and go for a softer one. I have already used this blusher loads and I like it a lot (more than when I first swatched it in the shop). I think it will look fab on loads of skin tones, especially fair skin, but will also look amazing on with a bit of a tan. The finish of this is really love and leaves your cheeks looking stained with colour and beautifully flushed. As for the rest of Kelly's line I am really interested in 2 of the lipsticks, Kelly Yum Yum, a bright blue toned pink and the lovely bright lilac Dodgy Girl. Her Bloody Brilliant Eye Shadow Quad is also one I am keeping my eye on.

Onto Sharon and I played it very safe by just picking up a Lipglass in Pussy Willow. Firstly the name? Is it suppose to be naughty, I don't really get it!! This is a lovely gold super glittery sheer lipgloss. I think I prefer the lilac packaging of Kelly's line slightly more but the red packaging is stunning as well! I mostly got this to wear over lipsticks because I am loving a shimmery glossy lip at the moment but over the last couple of days I have enjoyed wearing this just on its own. Last night I did wear this over MAC Plink!, and I think it looked really gorgeous. It doesn't look too gold on the lips which I like but still leaves them with a bit of colour and not just glitter! This, like all their lip products, smells and tastes like vanilla (AMAZING). Out of the rest of the Sharon line there isn't that many things I am drawn too, the Duchess Eyeshaow Quad is under strong consideration for purchasing as is the Blusher in Peaches and Cream. But apart from that I like the Kelly range a little bit more, I think it is more appealing for younger people where as I reckon my mum would love some of the lip colours in the Sharon range!

All this reviewing has made me want to run back to MAC to get more so excuse me, i'm off!! Be back here tomorrow for a look at my new favourite dry shampoo, hope you enjoyed and thanks for reading,

Laura xx

I was going to link some of the products I like from the collection below but it looks like a lot of it is already sold out online. So I would advise going in and seeing if there is still some bits in stock in your local store!