collection - CONTOUR KIT

COLLECTION

Contour Kit 

One of the great things I really love about make up, is that you can really have a play. There endless amount of brands out there to try. I love having a mix between high street and professional make up brands. Collection was one of those trusted brands I always turned to when I was in school. I  rocked the cat eye look for a good few years thanks to their Collection liquid eyeliner ( was a god send)

It is a good brand, if you are on a budget or if you do go through make up relatively quick as it won't leave you out of pocket. When I saw this lovely palette lying on the counter at boots I had to do a double take, This for the amazing price of £3.99 looked too appealing not to buy.

So outside, great design for the price. Little tricky to open if you have false nails (always the case) But what is really good is the fact it has a little mirror on the lid when you lift it up.

So on the left hand side you have a highlighter and the right a bronzer, trick is to use both these shades to contour the face, Simply run the darker shade up the cheekbones and the highlights just slightly above this. There are lots of contouring videos about on youtube if you want to see how to do this from a  pro. I have taken a few pictures without photoshopping to see the look it gives. the highlighter is very subtle so you might end up re-applying more than once. It does give this gorgeous dewy look, which I love. Very similar to the Maybelline contour set I brought for twice the price. I think I prefer this one

Clinique POP Lip colour and Primer

CLINIQUE

Pop Lip colour and primer 

So hands down I will admit I have never ever owned any Clinique  make up. I am a fan however of their skincare ranges that they do, especially the moisture surge cream (incredible stuff). It never really struck me to try their make up ranges.

So this little beauty was thanks to a secret santa at work and fellow blogger. This is in the shade -PUNCH POP a fantastic bright shiny pink, maybe the brightest pinky/purple shade I have for my collection. 

The great thing about this lipstick other than the price (slightly more than MAC) Is the fact it contains a primer. Which means great easy smooth application with a high pigment colour that doesn't dry out the lips. Almost feels like you have put on a nourishing lip balm. I can see this being popular in the spring and summer, such a fresh shade. 

With regards to how long is stays looking vibrant, I will have to see. Currently got it on today and two hours in and it still looks great. Do you have one of these, do you rate them high? 

To view CLINIQUE POP lipsticks click here. 

LUSH - FIZZBANGER

LUSH BATH BOMBS 

Fizzbanger 

It has been a while since I have posted online, give or take it has been around three months so please be patient with me while I update a few things.So onto the subject at hand we do have a local Lush store here in cheltenham, but the place to go for bath bombs is the oxford store! (exclusives).So out of all the bath bombs I have tried this is hands down my favourite.So according to the LUSH website, this is meant to smell like fresh crisp apples and cinnamon which results in a spicy cinnamon toffee scent. Can I just mention this turns the bath into a gorgeous yellowy colour. 

For me the bath was a more lemony citrus scent, I couldn't really smell the cinnamon however that might just be me. This is one worth trying if you haven't already. 

Lauren

Benefit bold is beautiful project

Benefit 

BOLD IS BEAUTIFUL

For only £2.00 from any Benefit store or counter you can purchase this sample pack. Not only are you purchasing the samples you are donating money toward their project. 

Benefits helps two charities, One being the  Look Good Feel Better  which helps supporting women with cancer and another being the Refuge charity which is for women and children against domestic violence. i am sure if we all gave them £2 it would go along way. 

What you get in the pack

Face emulsion SPF 15 

It hydrates, protects and comforts the skin. Really good sample size you can get just over a days worth of product if you use it day and night. 

ITS POTENT Eye Cream

Fades dark circles and helps smooth fines lines all while promoting radiance. Another decent size sample (don't forget you only need a rice grain amount with any eye cream) Don't swipe always press the cream into the skin. 

BIG EASY Complexion Perfector 

 Here they give you three different shades, this is meant to be one of their best selling products or so I was told at the counter, I would love to see if you have a review of it. 

- Balances moisture 

- Self adjusts to your skin tone

-Evens skin colour with a powder finish

-SPF 35+

HELLO FLAWLESS OXYGEN

A brightening foundation 

Helps protect against free radicals, Gives a plumping effect and with vitamin C it helps signs of ageing. This is a product I currently own already and it is fantastic. Gives your skin a beautiful glow too. 

This works great as a starter pack too if you have never tried Benefit cosmetics, go up to the counter and ask!

Lauren 

Laura Mercier foundation primer

Laura Mercier foundation primer

I have been after this little one for a while now, Well ever since the lovely girl at SPACE N. K introduced me to it, I fell in love! It is a perfect product and since I have brought it, I use it everyday.
I really love Laura Mercier products, It really is worth checking out their social networking sites and signing up to their newsletter. 

About the primer, So at £29.00 this isn't a cheap primer, But it is worth is. This one comes out in a creamy clear gel form that just quickly absorbs into the skin and gives it the mattifying feeling. You can put this on top of clean skin or onto of moisturised skin. So the perks of using a primer on your skin. It makes your make up last longer which is a god send for us girls who work stupid amounts of house at work. Mine always seems to melt off my face especially with this heat. It contains the lovely vitamins A,C,and E which helps with free radicals (nasty pollution) great if you work in the city!

For me I just love the feel of this product, Really is worth considering buying especially if you have dry skin like me and need a little more care when doing the daily make up routine. 

Boho Top - INSTYLE

Boho top TREND ALERT

 from New look £17.00 

Have you noticed in all the high street shops currently, boho tops are in. I personally love the whole summery laid back casual look of these! I have brought countless versions of boho tops since May. It is just too easy to pair it with some shoes and sandals or some leggins and a leather jacket. Boom! day to evening look is sorted.

I have been after one of these for so long but I never found a style that was flattering for girls with big boobs like myself. You have to be so careful as the tops that hang off the shoulder is a no can do, I need a bra to help hold the girls up.

So this was another New Look find, I just love New Look its always great for price and such lovely designs. This was was just under the £20.00 mark but what really caught my eye was the gorgeous threaded detail and patterns down the front, and the tassels at the bottom of the shirt.

What do you think of think of this style, would you wear it?

I have found some gorgeous finds which I have my eye on below.

River Island

This one is so girly, Maybe it is because I am a lover all everything lace. But its so pretty!!

River island website 



New Look

This one has a little more colour to it, And it more evening you can just pop tho with a leather jacket and it would really turn a day oufit into night time. 

New look website here 

NEW Maybelline master sculpt contouring palette

Maybelline Master Sculpt Contouring Palette

 01 Light/Medium

Contouring is in yes, mainly down to all the celebs with their chiseled cheekbones and defined facial features. You will find going into both high street and the top make up ranges every single one is releasing, or already has a contour kit. This usually consists of two shades and a highlighter.

Contour palettes are meant to be very easy to apply. Just apply darker shade on the jaw, sides of the nose and the cheekbones then using the highlighter blend it in. I brought this particular palette from BOOTS for a mere £6.99 this one is a newish one to the brand, It has a darker shade and a highlighter and also comes with a handy mirror and an applicator brush.

Hands down to Maybelline, this one is a lovely colour and doubles up as a bronzer too. Personally being a new product it seems the have it all figured out apart form the packaging itself. The moment you swipe the brush the powder residue goes everywhere and it gets very messy very quickly. Which is not great in a make up bag! EUGH! 

This is me wearing no blusher just some eye make up and laura mercer foundation. What do you guys think? will you be trying this out?

Lauren

IN FASHION - Fringe bags

IN FASHION - FRINGE BAGS

Primark £6.00

Fringe bags are so in style, You will find all clothes shops such as River Island, Top shop, New look, Primark etc will have some sort of fringe bag in. I personally love them and think the whole style is so  effortlessly chic. It is a mixture of festival look with a bit of boho which I am loving lately. 

This one was a little find at the Primark store in Bristol, Just sitting there on the shelf asking to be brought, as they do. Well c'mon I had been after one for a while. It is a over the shoulder style bag, With a zip compartment great for the coins. And it is a nice size too more for casual outings. You cant really fit much make up in, just the basics purse, phone keys and lip stick. More of like a fringe clutch.

I have added my H&M pom pom just to add a little something.

MY favourites currently

NEW LOOK

click here to visit new look fringe bag 

RIVER ISLAND 

Click here to go to the river island website 

TOPSHOP

click here 

Give your dad the gift of L'occitane this fathers day

Give your dad the gift of L'OCCITANE this fathers day 

Are you stuck for ideas on what to get your dad for a gift this fathers day, If so I have the answer. The beautiful french company that is L'occitane is releasing a brand new mens range in stores from 4th June. The new range has everything from fragrance to skin care, Prices that range anywhere between £4.50 to £42.00. So perfect for anyones budget.

Let me tell you more

Firstly they only use organic Cedrat from Corsica, It is a citrusy scent with woody undertones therefore making it very masculine, Kinda looks like a huge lemon. Orginally from Asia this is a big bold fruit. 

MENS eau de toilette 

£42.00

So there is a fragrance for that lovely man in your life, A little similar to the now discontinued Verdon range from L'Occitane with its fresh notes and uplifting scent. This special fragrance contains bergamot (my fav)cedar, cashmere wood, blue ginger and nutmeg. 

Cedrat After Shave Balm 

£22.00

This balm does two things, It hydrates and nourishes perfect for the man in your love that suffers from irritation and tightness after shaving a perfect gift!

Cedrat Face Cleanser

£16.00

This is my favourite product out of the range mainly because us girls can use it too, I admit not as often as men but they can exfoliate every day however us girls had delicate skin therefore we cant. 

It is a lovely clear gel texture with little beads, So great for men who need that extra TLC in the morning. Perfect to get this into a routine to then apply a moisturiser. 

Global Face Gel £28

This is a little gem of a product, mainly because it reminds me of a primer that matts the skin. So this does three main things. This is a hydrating gel which contains a glycerin based sugar that just locks the moisture in. 

It stops your skin from producing excess sebum, which is great if you suffer from greasy skin I would highly recommend this. Thirdly, It energises the skin great for fatigue. 

Shower gel £14.00

Alcohol free deodorant £14.00

Shaving gel £16.00

soap £4.50 After shave cream £9.00


You seriously have to go into your local store and check al this out win it ones in! Now you all have ideas for fathers day I look forward to seeing your posts on gifts. 

Why getting a iPhone 6 is great for blogging

Why getting an iPhone 6 plus is great for blogging!

I think it is so exciting when its time to get a new phone, Don't you agree?

My sister swears by the new Samsung purely because of the selfie features. However I am an apple lover, And for social media and blogging the iPhone six plus is fantastic. Lucky for me with my dog knocking my phone out my hand I just had to make a trip into my O2 store to upgrade. 

REASONS TO GET AN IPHONE 6PLUS OF BLOGGING 

1. Large screen, so great for online shopping. YES, hello ASOS!!

2. Comes in three stylish colours wait…don't the iPhone 5's do that?

3. Take selfless with a bigger screen, yes we where all thinking it.

4.Technically you can use it as a mirror, one point to me!

5. People will think you're cool and up too date with technology on your instagram

6. You can do blog posts on the go, or at work. 

7. You can FaceTime your friends about that new river island hat

8. You can take some great videos of your morning make up routine 

9. Easier to purchase items online on pretty much every website (screens bigger, see more items)

10. Watching Tanya burrs youtube channel just got one hell of a load easier. 

H&M eyeshadow palette

H&M 

Eyeshadow palette 

Shade - Brown palette £3.99

Did you know that H&M did a make up range, I did but never thought to purchase anything from there. I have seen a lot of you blog about their new range coming out in AT15/WN15 . Now as well as releasing make up, they will be releasing hair care and body care as well.

Picture from H&M

The new range has a Charlotte tillbury feel about it, which I am just loving it is more sophisticated and more classy. This is going to be very popular without a doubt. Anyway back to the main point of this post, I was shopping in the H&M store in Bristol not long ago and came across a large make up range in store.

I decided to make a small purchase just to try it out, I picked this lovely palette which helps achieve the prefect brown smoky eyes . Only £3.99 I thought it was a great purchase. One thing H&M don't do is testers, So you're more or less buying without trying the product. They will be doing tester stands with their new range which is long over due. 

All the colours are highly pigmented, Meaning you have that shade lasting longer. In the palette you have a beige cream colour with a little shimmer (my favourite) and four gorgeous deep chocolate brown shades, one being a matt finish. 

Packaging is just lovely, feels solid, is that a thing? for the price it is fantastic. Its a case that clicks down  and really easy to open and close. We do have to think about these things, because let's face it fake nails make everything a lot harder to open. 

Wearing the darkest shade from the palette.

Have you brought anything from H&M make up range before? 

NARS - Audacious lipsticks

NARS 

Audacious lipsticks 

 SHADE - Angela £24.00 

Move over MAC lipsticks, I have a new 

favourite!

One of my most valued product in my make up bag, My lipsticks. I love them, the bright colours the matt finished..just heaven. Sorry lipgloss but you just don't cut it for me. 

I was a sworn MAC lipstick buyer, I have only just recently brought another one to add to my huge collection but I got to say NARS have really out done them self with their lipsticks. The staying power behind these suckers is incredible they last for around eight hours. They also don't loose the pigment or smooth appearance as it fades. We all hate some brands of lipsticks which turns patchy after around two hours. 

Price wise, It is a little more expensive then MAC by around £10 actually when you think of it you could buy almost two MAC lip pies for the price of this. Don't let that put you off thou, You do have to get your hands on one of these bad boys and give it a try. 

The packaging alone is fantastic, Magnetic meaning no fuss making sure its closed. Simply clicks it into place for you. This one is a gorgeous pinky shade with a purple hue, In some lights in does look purple. It just glides onto the lips giving it a nourished silky feel.

I applied it using the NARS precise lip brush 30.

I always go round with a lip liner brush to neaten the lines, fill it with the lipstick and go over with the concealer to clean up any messy bits at the end. 

The finished look

Go out and try NARS! Lauren 

NARS - RADIANT CREAMY CONCEALER REVIEW

NARS 

Radiant creamy concealer review

In shade Light 2 VANILLA £22.00

As I mentioned before with my previous post when it comes to make up I do tend to stick with the products I know, Like A creature of habit I buy them over and over again. Sad really as it means I never try a new brand or products. I am slowly getting better with this, having turned away my 'boi-ing' concealer by benefit I have made a fantastic switch to NARS. 

This concealer is £22 to buy instead of the boing from benefit at £17.50 so a tiny bit more expensive but really worth it. Don't get me wrong the benefit one covers imperfections and great for under the eye but this NARS one does that and more. It gives you a added boost of radiance and also works as a highlighter to help contour your features. 

It is very easy to apply with the applicator wand, straight onto of foundation onto the face. I usually blend this in with my fingers of using a blending sponge. They both give the same results.

For best results I do reapply this under my eyes every 5 hours or so,  just to brighten them up a little. 

The benefits 

There are a few things that make this concealer special, for a start it is enriched with multi action skincare benefits and light diffusing technology. It create a smoother and a lot softer complexion while instantly diminishing fine lines and signs of fatigue. Which lets face it when we are tired we need something that does this! 

My views on this, well I love it. I love the packaging, I love the colour, the texture, the fact it works! its a all rounder!

Lauren