Beauty Haul!

It's been a while since I shared my beauty purchases here on the blog and over the last couple of months I seem to have accumulated quite a few new things so I thought I'd do a haul post. Here's what I got!

After hearing a lot about the Bourjois Rouge Edition Velvets I decided to give a tester a try, it lasted all day long without fading so I decided to go back and pick up 3 shades, Ole Flamingo, a warm toned fuscia, hot pepper, a bright, true red and Grand Cru a burgundy shade. They're a matte liquid lipstick formula and I'm completely blown away by them. A full review is in the works! 

I also got a blue and white stripy makeup bag which was only £8 from Boots, I love the stripes and the way they contrast with the bright coral zip, plus it's the perfect size to throw into my handbag for on the go touch ups.

I'm not a huge powder wearer, I only ever have one on the go so when my MAC Studio Fix finished I wanted to get something to replace it. I found Studio Fix far too heavy for my liking so decided to get Chanel Les Beiges Healthy Glow Sheer Powder as I heard it's super lightweight and very finely milled. 

I got a set of mini Estee Lauder fragrances as a gift a while ago and the one that I was instantly drawn to was Beyond Paradise, it's just so different to any fragrances I'd smelt before. I really missed using it when it was finished so it wasn't long before I picked myself up a full sized bottle. 

I've always loved aromatherapy products and had trouble sleeping so I thought I'd finally give a couple of products from This Works a go. This duo contains a mini Deep Calm Pillow Spray and Breathe In rollerball. 

I'd been coveting the Smashbox Full Exposer Palette for the longest time so I finally caved and decided to get it, I thought it was the perfect time of year for it as it contains lots of party friendly shimmery shades as well as a good range of mattes. I also got the Estee Lauder Pure Colour Shadow Paint in Chained, it's a great, easy to use, wear everyday kind of shade. As you can see I've used it quite a bit already and I love it!

I was in need of a new mascara so I decided to give the Smashbox Full Exposer Mascara a go, purely  because I liked the look of the brush and I was already at the counter getting the palette!

I also invested in a couple of new haircare tools, I finally got round to getting a Tangle Teezer and I'm so glad I did, I have no idea why it took me so long to jump onto that bandwagon! My old round blowdrying brush had seen better days, I'd used it for so long that most of the bristles had flattened down and when the handle broke off I knew it was time for a new one! I went for the Remington brush because it seemed to have the firmest bristles of all the brushes in boots. 

I hope you enjoyed seeing my new purchases! I'll be sure to do full reviews once I've been using them a bit longer. Have you bought any new beauty products recently? 

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FOTD #2

I've decided to try and do a few more makeup posts here on the blog, I hope you like this one, it's a look I'd probably reserve for evenings as the eyeshadow really is quite glittery, although it doesn't seem to look like it in the picture! I used my Sephora Moonshadow Baked Palette in In the Dark which I did a full review of here. It's a palette I'm trying to use a bit more as it's been left unloved for a while! 

For base I went for MAC Studio Fix Fluid, another usually unloved product. I tend to reach for lighter bases over this one most days but I was having a bit of a 'bad skin day' so I thought I could do with a bit of extra coverage! I applied it with a Buffing Brush and then tapped on a bit of Bobbi Brown Corrector under my eyes to cover dark circles. I then used all the shades from my Sleek Face Form Palette in Light, the contour shade to define, a tiny bit of blush to add some colour and the highlighter to add a bit of a glow back into an otherwise quite matte finish. 

For the eyes I started with the shade Gold (top row, second from right) all over the lid, then added a tiny amount of Nude (top row, second from left) into the inner corners and under the brow bone. Next I went for the shade Deep Brown (bottom row, second from left) and packed that into the outer corner. I then blended everything out with a fluffy brush so it all looked a bit softer. To finish up I used the shade Glitter Black (bottom row, middle) as an eyeliner using a small angled brush and Avon Aero Volume Mascara which I don't love but am trying to finish up!

For lips I kept things super simple and just went for my favourite, wear with everything gloss, Chanel Rouge Allure Extrait de Gloss in 56 Imaginaire. I hope you like the look!

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Beauty Wishlist

Stila - In the Light Palette

Chanel - Les Beiges Powder

Nars - Radiant Creamy Concealer

Indeedlabs - Peptabright

Ecotools - Fresh and Flawless Brush Set 

Bourjois - Rouge Edition Velvet

Nars - Bronzer

Alpha H - Liquid Gold 

A few products that are currently topping my beauty wishlist! What's on yours?  

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REVIEW: Chanel Rouge Allure Extrait de Gloss in 56 Imaginaire

If ever I had to pick just one lip gloss to wear for the rest of all time, obviously such a situation will never occur so we're talking hypothetical here, I would definitely choose the Chanel Rouge Allure Extrait de Gloss in 56 Imaginaire. Described as 'a gloss with the colour intensity of a lipstick' the formula is great, it isn't sticky and doesn't cling to any dry patches on the lips, in fact, it hydrates them leaving them feeling a lot softer than they were before, thanks to the added shea butter, canola oil and vitamin E.

It comes in super sleek black packaging with the gold Chanel logo at the top, it just feels so luxe! It has a traditional doe foot applicator, as with most glosses, and I find the formula lasts really well, about 3 - 4 hours which I think is pretty good for a gloss.

My choice of shade is a lovely sheer pinky peach with warm undertones, it's very flattering and is definitely the old cliche 'my lips but better shade'. I find it completes any makeup look from minimal to a full blown smokey eye. It's such an easy to wear shade that I can quite happily swipe it on without a mirror. 

I could quite happily wear this gloss everyday, but at the cost of £25.00, I don't want to go through it too quickly! So I'm on the hunt for a cheaper alternative (suggestions welcome!). When I do run this tube dry I'll definitely be repurchasing it and I also have my eye on a couple of the other shades in the range.  

In fact, I love this lip gloss so much, I wore it on my wedding day! What's your favourite lip gloss?

January Favourites

The miserable weather as of late has meant one thing, more hot baths to soothe dry winter skin and cold toes! Here are some of the products I've been loving this month.

The Boots Extracts range has been a brilliant discovery I've been using the Cocoa Butter Sugar Scrub (full review here) and Body Butter (full review here) non stop since I got them, in fact I'm already nearly halfway through both! The Scrub has a really tightly packed consistency that really gives skin a good scrub leaving it feeling super smooth. The body butter somehow manages to be really thick and creamy but still sinks in really quickly leaving skin feeling supple and nourished.

I've been burning my Milk Bath Remedy Candle in Coconut Milk constantly in the evenings, it fills the room with a lovely relaxing scent and it a cozy ambience. Full review here.

Boots Coconut Body Oil has been an absolute life saver this month with my skin being in the condition it's in. My eyelids have been dry and sore and my skin has been feeling super sensitive. I've been using this to remove makeup, as a facial oil, a hair treatment and adding a scoop into the bath! I wrote a post all about different ways to use it here.

I fallen back in love with my favourite lipgloss lately, it's the Chanel Rouge Allure Extrait De Gloss in 56 Imaginaire. It's just the easies colour to wear, I even apply it without a mirror. A flatters all warm toned peachy pink. 

Chanel Coco Body Cream Review

When it comes to all round luxury, no one does it quite like Chanel, they really bring it on all fronts, packaging, formulas, fragrances and colours. 

I was lucky enough to receive their Coco Body Cream as a gift a while ago and I absolutely love it. It really is the ultimate body cream, in fact think of it as a 2 in 1, fragrance and moisturiser. Just rubbing this stuff onto your hands and arms is enough to leave you with that lovely Coco fragrance all day. No perfume necessary. 

The cream itself is really rich and moisturising, you only need the tiniest amount and it leaves the skin with a beautifully subtle, dewy sheen. 

The fragrance to me is the ultimate winter scent, while I find the Eau De Parfum and even the Eau De Toilette versions of this scent to be too overpowering for my liking, I find this one to be perfect. It's a very rich, warm, grown up scent which has a musky powderiness about it while still being contemporary. If you generally tend to prefer light, fresh fragrances then this probably isn't for you. It's definitely a fragrance you could describe as heady. Here's what's in it,

Top Notes - Angelica, Mimosa, Frangipani and Mandarin

Heart Notes - Cascarilla, Orange Flower, Bulgarian Rose and Jasmine

Base Notes - Labdanum, Ambrette Seed, Opopanax, Benzoin, Tonka and Vanilla

Although I find it a bit too heavy most of the year, I absolutely  love it during the colder months. I've been using it for a few years now and I associate the scent with the coming of Christmas! 

Autumn Nail Edit

It's no secret that I'm quite into nails so I thought I'd put together an edit of my favourite autumn nail shades. Here's what made the cut!

Avon Nailwear Pro in Perfectly Flesh

This nude shade works really well with my skintone, it looks good all year round really but it's a particularly nice option in the autumn for when you don't wan't something dark.

YSL La Laque No 37 (discontinued)

This dark inky blue looks stunning on short nails, it's black in some light but has just a hint of navy. It's been filling the Essie After School Boy Blazer sized hole in my collection nicely. 

Chanel Le Vernis 509 Paradoxal

A two toned grey and purple that somehow has a neutral quality about it and seems to go with everything. The formula isn't great, as with all Chanel varnishes, but the colour is spot on.

Essie Aperitif 

Quite possibly my favourite polish of all time, this is another one that works well all seasons, but particularly autumn and winter. An ever so slightly darker take on a classic red that you just can't go wrong with.

Nails Inc Ledbury Road 

A concrete grey with a subtle metallic finish that I can't help but love in spite of generally being someone who sticks to cream finishes. It only needs one coat, and is super glossy making it a great last minute nail option that adds a little somethin' somethin' to an otherwise boring outfit. 

Sephora Colour Hit Nail Lacquer in Will you Jump?

An amazingly rich royal blue which is bang on trend that I just can't seem to stop staring at when it's on my nails. I love these polishes, the brush is great, the formula is great and there's a huge variety of shades. 

What have you been wearing on your nails this autumn?

Streamlined Skincare

I went for a weekend away not long ago and instead of lugging my usually skincare products around with me, I decided to take along some of the samples I'm always stashing away. I though it would be a good idea to write this post afterwards, so that way I could actually tell you what I thought of the products and wether or not I'll be tempted into buying the full size equivalents in the future. 

Ren EverCalm Gentle Cleansing Milk was the first sample, which I got free along with the other Ren products in this months InStyle magazine (more on that here). It's a great cleansing milk which does everything you'd want it to do, removes makeup, throughly cleanses and leaves skin feeling soft. It also has a rich texture and delicate herby fragrance that make it a pleasure to use. I have in fact bought this cleanser in the past and definitely will again, and it's great for sensitive skin.

I've heard so many great things about the Clarins Gentle Exfoliator Brightening Toner as was eager to try it for myself. I can honestly say it is well and truly worth the hype! It's a toner that contains exfoliating AHAs (Alpha Hydroxy Acids) which break down the surface layer of dead skin cells without the need for abrasive particles. After just a few days it leaves skin feeling softer and smoother. A full size bottle is at the very top of my shopping list!

Next up is Chanel Radiance Revealing Serum, this is great if you think of it more as an under moisturiser primer and less as an actual serum. In terms of skincare benefits, this did nothing for me, but that could also be because with it being a sample size, I didn't use it for long enough to see any benefits. What I did notice about it was that it contained the tiniest light reflecting particles, so when it was smoothed onto the skin it made imperfections appear blurred and also left skin feeling (temporarily) soft. It looked great under makeup in the day time but I didn't bother using it at night. I'd possibly consider buying this for a special occasion but definitely not anytime soon ass it's quite expensive for what it is.

To soothe puffy, tired eyes, I used Ren Vita Mineral Active 7 Eye Gel both in the mornings and evenings. It cooled down the skin, definitely had a depuffing effect and didn't sting my eyes one bit (a lot of eye creams do). I'd definitely consider buying this in the future but not right away as I already have a couple on the go. 

To moisturise I used Ren EverCalm Global Protection Day Cream. I know it's a day cream but I also used it at night. It seemed to leave a nice enough finish for day but also somehow still managed to be rich enough as a night cream. It left skin feeling incredibly soft and plumped up. The only box this doesn't tick is that it unfortunately doesn't contain sun protection, but seeing as most of my foundations do anyway, I'm more than willing to let that slide for this lovely moisturiser. This is definitely going to be the next moisturiser I buy!

Do you like to 'try before you buy'?

Empties #3

Another month, another empties post, I honestly can't believe how fast I go through stuff! Anyway, here's what I thought of it all!

Soap & Glory Heel Genius is definitely a 'pedicure in a tube', it's a super rich, blue, foot cream which contains exfoliating fruit acids. I've been slathering it on in the evening and following it up with some cozy socks. Come morning feet are super smooth, no scrubbing necessary! Repurchase? Yes.

I've throughly enjoyed using Soap & Glory's Foam Call Body Wash, it's so fruity smelling and it really wakes you up first thing in the morning, plus, it leaves skin feeling nice and soft as it contains built in moisturiser. Repurchase? Definitely!

Yep, you guessed it, more Soap & Glory! This one is the Butter Yourself Body Butter, an all time favourite. It has the same lovely fruity fragrance as Foam Call Body Wash and also contains exfoliating fruit acids, meaning your skin is left feeling silky soft. It also sinks into the skin really quickly which is a great time saver. Repurchase? Yep!

Next is The Body Shop Vitamin E Sink In Moisture Mask, it has a light gel-cream formula, gives skin a huge moisture boost and applies clear. I've been using it overnight and waking up to plumped up skin. Look out for a full review coming soon! Repurchase? Already have! 

MAC Studio Fix Fluid Foundation in NC45 is a foundation I've been using for years. It's a medium coverage foundation that can be mixed with moisturiser for a light finish or built up to a full coverage without looking heavy or caked on. It's a great all rounder. Repurchase? Already have.

Sephora Softening Facial Mist is a very lightly scented facial mist that I picked up in France this summer, it's a great skin refresher that adds a bit of dewyness to the skin, and it's so much cheaper that other alternatives. (I paid 4 euros for it!) Repurchase? Yes, when I next go to France!

The Simple Moisture Boost Hydro Mist is basically the same thing as the sephora one, although not quite as nice because a single spray can be quite full on whereas the sephora spray produces a fine mist. Repurchase? Probably not.

Next up is the mini Jurlique Lavender Hand Cream that I took away on holiday, this stuff is amazing! Not only does it smell amazing, it really does your hands a world of good. As it's a balm like formula, you only need a small amount, it spreads easily and sinks straight into the skin leaving no residue. It leaves hands feeling lastingly moisturised so you end up using it a lot less often. Repurchase? Definitely at some point but not straight away as I got a few other ones stashed away already! 

I usually love everything by Chanel but unfortunately their Automatic Liquid Eyeliner was a huge disappointment! It has a pointed brush tip, you twist the bottom and the product is dispensed into the brush, sounds great right? But everytime I went to use it I found that the entire brush had dried out and the brush was full of dry, cakey bits of eyeliner. I would then have to wash it and dry it before I used it (every single time) and very soon the brush started to fall apart from all the wear and tear! Repurchase? Definitely not!

At the other end of the spectrum, I have another product by Chanel which I absolutely loved and was so sad to finish, as it's long since been discontinued! It's one of their old bronzers and the shade was just perfect for me, not too pale, not too orange, with the tinniest hint of shimmer! Repurchase? I wish! 

Have you tried any of these products? What did you think of them?

NOTD #8

When it comes to nail varnishes, Chanel make such amazing colours but unfortunately their formula leaves a lot to be desired. This colour is pretty special, it's called Paradoxal and it's a lovely  two tone grey-purple. I've never seen this colour by any other brand which is why I bought this one, it's my one and only Chanel Nail Varnish. I haven't worn it much lately but I remember from back when I got it the formula did chip quite quickly, something I've heard time and time again about Chanel nail varnishes. A shame really as it's such an expensive and reputable brand who you don't expect to be such a let down! I much prefer Essie Nail Varnishes, and they're half the price!