The Eyeshadow Palette Dreams Are Made Of!

I think I've died and gone to eyeshadow heaven! The pictures don't do it justice, I'm not sure my words can but I'll give it a go...

Estee Lauder Pure Color Envy Scultping Eyeshadow Palette* £40 contain five superluxe, not just luxe, SUPERLUXE eye shadows in a sexy and sophisticated navy and gold palette. Let me tell you, choosing just one of these palettes was tough, but after swatching the hell out of them at the Estee Lauder counter, I picked Rebel Metal. Rebel Metal is a perfect medley of earthy toned hues with stunning shimmery finishes. With champagne, gold, coppers and browns, it's universally flattering and work really well with my hazel green eyes. The powders are incredibly plush - smooth, lightweight and creamy, they glide on, melting into the lids with the most intense colour pay off.  The palette does it all - mix and match the shades to create everything from natural, intense or dramatic eye looks, They blend to perfection - even if you're no dab hand with the eyeshadow brush, these formulas are fool proof and look professional every time and the depths of colour are stunning in all lights. Oh, and you can use them wet or dry!

It's been a while since I've checked out what Estee Lauder have got going on. If this palette is anything to go by, I've been missing out! Check out Estee Lauder Make up at Harrods

Laura Mercier Secret Camouflage, Worth The Hype?

For me, Secret Camouflage is one of those products that I’ve wanted for AGES, but never got round to buying. From the minute I started watching Lisa’s (Eldridge, in case you’re not on first name terms) videos, I wanted it. And now I have it... was it worth the hype?

I’ll cut to the chase; it’s completely different to what I expected. The texture is extremely stiff. At room temperature, I’m talking February in Northern England, it’s as stiff as a board. Sweep your brush over the concealer and you get, well, next to nothing. It takes a good rub, preferably with a warm finger to loosen and release the product – similar to a stick foundation but stiffer. Once you have the product loosen, on your hand or face, it does become softer, pliable and easy to work with. You know when you go on holiday and all your make up melts? Well that might actually be a good thing for Secret Cam. Texture surprise aside, once you get used to it and find the best way to work with it, you discover it’s pretty damn amazing!

It’s very, very pigmented. It’s thick, but not cakey, meaning you only need a tiny bit and boy does it pack a punch. I’ve developed what can almost be described as a bindi spot on my forehead. It’s a small red spot, maybe a blood vessel, but it’s very noticeable. This makes it disappear! It’s excellent for the ol’ pin-point concealing. I take a tiny brush (Real Techniques Detailer Brush) take the product from the palette of the back of my hand and dab directly on the spot. Using my finger I then blend the edges. It blends seamlessly, no trace that I’m wearing concealer at all, in fact, it’s kinda magic. The colour match is perfect too. I’m NC25-30 and went with SC-3. There’s a lighter yellow toned shade on one side and a slightly smaller, pink toned shade on the other, allowing you to blend and customise your own perfect shade. Spots, discolorations, even eye bags... Secret Camouflage has quite literally got them covered! It’s as good on larger areas as it is on teeny tiny blemishes. It dries to a natural finish and lasts all day. I can certainly see why it’s a make up artists dream.

It’s certainly not a dab and go concealer. It takes a tad more precision and effort, but if you want bullet proof coverage that lasts all day, this is it! So, to answer my question, is it worth the hype? Hell YES! I’m glad I’ve got this in my kit now. I use it most days on the “bindi” and I would highly recommend it for occasion/bridal makeup.

Laura Mercier Secret Camouflage £26.50 House of Fraser | Space NK | John Lewis

The Hardest Working, Holy Grailing, Multi Tasking, Skin/Hair/Nail care Wonder

I’m all about the multi-tasker and few products work harder than argan ail. By now I think we all know argan oil is pretty amazing. Loved by make up artists and celebrities the World over - Eva Mendes, aka the woman that snagged Ry-Gos calls it her total skin secret... if it's good enough for Eva!!!. It moisturises, it hydrates, it softens. Use it on the face, body, nails and hair - no wonder they call it liquid gold. BUT Not all argan oils are equal. Don't be fooled by poor imitations, it needs to be 100% pure argan oil to reap the benefits.

The Moroccan Argan Oil £13.99* by the Morroccan Argan Oil Co. has all the hall marks of a top class argan. It has the light golden yellow colour, comes in an amber glass bottle, has a mild nutty aroma and contain only 100% PURE ORGANIC ARGAN OIL. It melts into the skin quickly and effectively leaving skin soft, moisturised and plumped. Packed full of vitamin E, it's one of nature's most effective moisturisers and rich in fatty acids, which helps protect the skin from wrinkling... it's basically an all-round skincare wonder.

Here’s just a few things I use The Morocaan Argan Oil for;

• Soften cuticles - a couple of drops on the nail bed and massage into cuticles
• Moiturise patchy, dry skin - rough elbows and knees TACKLED
• Overnight hair/scalp treatment
• Massage oil
• Face serum 
• Face moisturiser - seriously, add a drop to your moisturiser for stunning radiance 
• Make up remover

And the list goes on. I keep a bottle on my desk at work and one by my bedside table and I’m always dipping in and out of the stuff.

If you fancy trying The Moroccan Argan Oil take advantage of the 30% off promo code. Enter code NEWYEAR30 until 28th Feb to bag the discount.

Curl Power! Benefit Roller Lash Mascara Review

Imagine you’re a mascara on Benefit’s production line. You wouldn’t want to be the one that follows They’reReal, AKA the UK’s no1 best selling mascara, would you? But then you're a Benefit mascara and they’ve been working on you for four years and it turns out, you’re pretty damn good yourself. 

Benefit 'Roller Lash' Mascara is all about the curve – and we’re talking serious, close-your-eyes-and-the-curve-is-still-there, curve! Bin the eyelash curlers because this one does it all. It curls, it lifts, it lengthens and it boosts.

97% said it visibly lifts lashes

87% said it gives long-lasting curl

94% said eyes look more wide open

The skinny, curved “Hook’n’Roll” brush gets right down into the root of the lashes. Laced with mini lash catches, it scoops the lashes and drags them to new heights, fanning, separating and lengthening as it goes. With minimal effort it makes my lashes look inconceivably long and adds some major curl action. And unlike other curve/lengthening mascaras, it doesn’t neglect the volume. It plumps the lashes with jet black, glossy formula and fans them perfectly for a more wide open look. Absolutely no clumping, no smudging. I wasn’t expecting to be wowed by this mascara, but I am!

Benefit 'Roller Lash' Mascara goes on sale at the end of February. Thanks to Elle Magazine you can bag a sample (or two) this month and if you’re impressed, you can pre-order at QVC advanced order £15.82 RRP £19.50.

p.s please don’t judge the brows in these pictures. They’re going through a major grow back mission and have NOT seen a tweezer this year! 

Birchbox Loves - The February 2015 Box

MONTHLY SUBSCRIPTION IS £10.00 PLUS £2.95

This month’s Birchbox is keen! Hardly seems like two minutes since January’s landed on the door mat... not that I’m complaining. So it’s February, and Birchbox are in the mood for luuurve with the Birchbox Loves box.

Wild About Beauty Golden Skin Glow | Full Size £21

A bronze tinted gel/moisturiser. I had a swatch as soon as I got my hands on this... don’t be scared, it may look like Ronseal but the semi sheer coverage means you won’t look like Donatella. Instead it adds a natural bronzed glow with a tiny hint of shimmer.

Caudalie Vinoperfect Radiance Serum 10ml | Full Size £45/30ml

When it comes to serums Caudalie is king. I’ve tried the Vinosource S.O.S Thirst-Quenching Serum so I’ve got high hopes for this radiance-boosting, oil free formula.

KMS Tame Frizz Soothing Lotion £15.50

I wince whenever I see hair masks, hair smoothers, de-frizzers. If you could veto one product from your beauty box, this would be it. I have fine hair with greasy roots! Understandably I steer clear of anything like this. Still, if this is your thing, the lightweight leave-in lotion detangles and tames frizz.

T London Darjeeling Bath & Shower Wash  – Travel Size 50ml | from £6.50

A new one on me, but it does smell remarkably like chamomile tea and travel size shower gels always come in handy.

theBalm cosmetics Stainiac in Beauty Queen | £10

Add a pop of long-lasting colour to lips and cheeks with this gel stain... Looks remarkably similar to Benetint. 

Lifestyle Extra – The Chia Co Oats + Chia pack – RRP £4.95 (pack of 5)

I do applaud Birchbox for the quirky lifestyle extras. I’ve had everything from green tea to lipstick shaped pens – and this one, I can vouch for, is de.lish.ious. I will be purchasing.

A decent mix of products this month. Very happy with the serum and the skin glow lotion. I’m slightly disappointed that they didn’t make more of the Valentine’s theme, but that’s me being soppy. 

IF YOU FANCY SUBSCRIBING TO BIRCHBOX, USE MY FRIENDS REFERRAL LINK AND WE’LL BOTH GET SOME BONUS POINTS TO SPEND IN THE BIRCHBOX SHOP. ALSO CHECK OUT THE NEW LETTERBOX FRIENDLY SLIM BOX!

A Beauty Junkie’s Wishlist 2015

I may have been beating theJanuary Blues one purchase at a time, but a beauty junkie is always looking for her next hit. Cue my wish list of so-called-fabulous products that I haven’t got my greedy little mits on yet...

Nars Creamy Concealer £21 LookFantastic

Every time I open my blogger feed, someone else is r-r-RAVING about this! A great all rounder, it’s apparently as good for under eye bags as it is for spots! 

Real Techniques Bold Metals Brushes from £10 Boots

Talk about brush porn! Just when you think Real Techniques brushes couldn’t get any better, they go and bring out the Bold Metals Collection. Now I’m well stocked up after adding the ZoevaRose Gold Brushes to the stash at Christmas and there’s no way I can justify adding these... but my heart does desire. Maybe I’ll just visit them from time to time in Boots.

Anastasia Beverly Hills Contour Palette £39 Cult Beauty

The contour palette for novises and make up artists alike. I’m yet to see a bad review on this easy to use and wins every time contour palette. And with waiting lists as long as my wish lists, it’s more of a when, than if this will be mine. 

Anastasia Beverly Hills Brow Wiz £15.50 Cult Beauty

Anastasia, what are you doing to me! I regularly browse Cult Beauty drooling over her products. Dipbrow (review here) has indeed wowed me and next on the brow wish-list is Brow Wiz. I’m expecting this will be ideal for times when I need to brow n go. The only thing I’m hesitating over is the shade. Cue hours lost scrolling through swatches online.

By Terry Touché Veloutee Highlighting Concealer £37.50 SpaceNK

Terry, Terry, you’ve been on my wish list for years. Heralded by many as the best under eye concealer/highlighter in the World and with a wider brush for extra coverage, I’d love to try it but the price tag makes me whince. At £37.50, I’d rather have eye bags :)

Liz Earle Deep Cleansing Mask £15.75 John Lewis

It may surprise you to know that there’s actually quite a few Liz Earle products I’m yet to try and next on the Liz-wish-list is the Deep Cleansing Mask. It’s the time of year skin needs some extra nourishment and I’ll be honest, I think the cute little  sponges this one comes with is winning me over

MAC Velvet Teddy Lipstick £15.50 MAC

What’s all the fuss all about? There’s a reason this has been out of stock for the last three months (Kylie Jenner effect) and I’m in intrigued to find out it it's worth the hype?

Lorac Pro Palette $42 Ultra

I may be awash with eyeshadow palettes (Naked 1,2 and 3) but I have an unstoppable urge to own this. Miss Maven has been championing this in her videos for yonks and I'm desperate for a slice of the action. 8 mattes, 8 shimmers - perfect! Probably a blessing that it's only available in the US. 

What's on your wish list? 

Most Used. Most Repurchased.

Oh Hello there unsung hero. As I opened a brand spanking new MAC Mineralize Skinfinish Natural Powder and marvelled at its beauty I realised I hadn’t given it the airtime it deserves. It’s probably my most used, most repurchased piece of make up.  It’s also sporting a chic little make over! In case you hadn’t noticed, MAC recently changed the packaging of its Mineralize Range. If I’m honest, I wasn’t a fan at first. Have you ever seen fake MAC products kicking around the markets of Egypt or Greece? Well that’s exactly what it reminded me of. I liked the old packaging with the see through window, but I’m over it now and I will admit the mirror is a welcome edition.

Packaging rant aside, MAC Mineralize Skinfinish Natural, you’re my kind of powder! I’m all about the natural, dewy base and this is the first powder that doesn’t mask it. Ideal for “setting” foundation! And I don’t mean set like concrete, more finish it off and make you look done. I use shade Medium Plus which suits my skintone (MAC NC25-30 for reference) perfectly. Described as a "Tan Beige" it's quite light and neutral. It’s fairly sheer and won’t change the colour of your foundation and its mineral pigments and natural-matte finish make it lightweight enough not to cake or mask your look! It does however add a little extra coverage and can be worn alone like a mineral foundation. After foundation application I lightly dust it all over my face paying attention to the Tzone. Aside from setting the foundation and reduce any obvious shine, it has an almost airbrushing effect leaving behind a flawless, glowing sheen - think Hourglass Ambient Lighting Powders but a hella lot cheaper. See it in action in my All About That Base feature.

MAC Mineralize Skinfinish Powders £23 MAC and Debenhams