Autumn face featuring MAC, Too Faced, Illamasqua & more

Hi guys, long time no see right? I took a little blogging hiatus for a couple of weeks. Just finding it really difficult to blog at the moment! I just haven't been struck with inspiration by anything in a while. But lately the nice Autumn weather we are having has made me think more about my make up and what fits this season. Everything I used is pictured above, and I will list them for you too.

MAC Prep & Prime Skin Base Visage

Clarins Instant Smooth Line Correcting Concentrate

MAC Pro Longwear Foundation (NW15)

MAC Pro Longwear Concealer (NW15)

MAC Paint Pot (Painterly)

Too Faced Chocolate Bar Palette (shades Creme Brûlée, Haute Chocolate, Semi Sweet, White Chocolate, Milk Chocolate)

MAC Blacktrack gel eyeliner

Lancome Hypnose Doll Eyes mascara

Maybelline Brow Drama

Illamasqua Cream Blush (shade Dixie)

MAC lipstick (Velvet Teddy)

I am really loving the MAC Pro Longwear foundation. I think it was the beginning of Spring when I got it, and I couldn't really wear it because my skin at the time was so dry, and it really emphasised any dry patches. Also at that time of year I would wear a bit of fake tan and NW15 was just way too pale. But I am finding that my skin is a lot better, and it is just the right shade for me for when I am rocking my au natural paler skin! 

Also the Pro Longwear concealer is just freakin' amazing, it covers absolutely everything and it isn't too heavy for wearing under your eyes. Though I will say the NW15 in this concealer is really very white, naturally concealers come up lighter than foundation shades but it's something to bear in mind if you were looking into buying this.

I whipped out Velvet Teddy lipstick again, even though I am not sure brown toned nudes suit me but I just adore the matte lipsticks from MAC, they are perfect and I think really great to wear at this time of year.

OK I won't bore you with more talk of the Chocolate Bar palette (aka the palette that changed my life!) but lately I have been loving creating just very simple looks with this, I went for a golden bronze look today and I really love how it turned out.

What make up are you wearing this autumn? 

My Christmas Gift Ideas

Christmas is my absolute favourite time of year! I love giving (and receiving!) presents, and I have picked a few things that are a safe bet to buy, for your sisters, friends or work colleagues.

1. A Yankee Candle. I am a huge lover of Yankee Candles, and I do not know who wouldn't want to receive one as a gift! Their Christmas candles are a family favourite at Christmas time, and I really don't think Christmas would be the same without a lovely Yankee Candle!

2. A nice perfume! A perfume will always be well appreciated. I think most people tend to lean more towards more musky, woody scents in Winter. I have pictured Thierry Mugler Angel, which I did a review of here ! It is a lovely smokey scent, and the bottle also looks pretty festive!

3. A Lancome Mascara Set! If you want to buy a present of the cosmetic variety, a mascara is a great choice as you can't really go wrong. The Lancome sets are brilliant, as you get a little Crayon Kohl and Bi-Facil eye make up remover and are a great introduction to Lancome eye make up. I have pictured Doll Eyes, a fantastic mascara! But all of the Lancome mascaras are absolutely phenomenal in my opinion!

4. Make your own hamper! This is something that I like to do each year as I have a big family, it's nice to make up a hamper instead and there will be something in there for everybody. I love picking up bits and pieces from Marks and Spencers, they have brilliant things around Christmas and great offers too. I pick up a selection of sweets, mints, biscuits etc. and then I have fun wrapping them all up in a hamper!


I hope this post has maybe provided some inspiration! Have you started Christmas shopping yet?

Face of the Day! Featuring Mac, Chanel, Lancome & more!

This is my very first "face of the day" post, please let me know if you like these sort of things and I will try and do it more often!

So on Saturdays I wear a lot more makeup, basically because I have plenty of time to apply it! On weekdays when I am at work, I am lucky if I have time for a quick flick of mascara and a bit of blush.

So here are the products that I used...

I just realised there are a lot of high end stuff here.... I used to be such a lover of budget beauty but now I tend to buy just one "luxury" thing at a time, and I got quite a lot of this stuff for Christmas.

First I applied my Chanel Bronze Universal all over my face. I love this so much, I am not much into bronzers but since I got this I have worn it very frequently. I then used some MAC Face and Body over it. I used the YSL Touche Eclat under my eyes. I don't want to sound overly dramatic, but this little product has changed my life! At last my undereye area looks fairly decent and more like a 25 year old instead of a 70 year old!

For my eyes I used my trusty ArtDeco Eyeshadow Base, my new MAC Veluxe palette (applied using damp brush) and my favourite ArtDeco liquid eyeliner. My favourite mascara of all time is Lancome Hypnose, it works brilliantly for me. And I filled in my brows with the Essence eyebrow pencil.

I used only the beautiful shimmery coral blush out of this Lancome Blush Subtil palette, and finished it off with the Lancome Rouge in Love lipstick!

I just headed into town for some lunch, and now I am in my sister's house for some dinner and a bit of craic! It has been a really awful day, pouring rain all day! Roll on Spring!

Hope everyone has a good weekend!

The Best of 2013 (Beauty Edition)

It is so difficult for me to believe that 2013 is at an end. I have to say that it has been a wonderful year for me, and I hope 2014 will be just as good. I wish everyone a very happy and prosperous new year.

I started this blog in January 2013. I have always tried numerous, varied products but ever since I started blogging I find that I have bought things that I wouldn't normally have looked at, thanks to everyone's great reviews and blog posts. 

I had to think long and hard but I have chosen seven products which have entered my life in 2013 and hopefully will never leave!

1. Clarins Instant Eye Make Up Remover - This is one item which will now always be a staple in my skincare routine. This eye make up remover has an oil and water layer which you shake together and which really cuts through all eye make up with one swipe. It is so gentle on your eyes, there is no need to tug or pull on the skin. It is £15.00 a bottle which normally lasts me about 10 weeks. It is worth every penny!

2. Cocoa Brown 1 Hour Tan Mousse - I never used to wear fake tan, until I discovered this. Now I wear tan every single day. Isn't it funny how things change? I don't know what I would do without my Cocoa Brown. I don't look normal without it. Actually I don't even remember what I look like without tan. It is just the most natural looking tan, so easy to apply and it is dry almost instantly after applying. Sure it is so handy, why wouldn't you wear it all the time?!

3. Lancome Teint Idole Foundation - I decided to invest in a good foundation back in May and I am so delighted I chose this. I have not spent this much money on a foundation before, but I can tell you that you can actually feel the difference in quality compared to other foundations. This is without a doubt the best foundation to ever land in my make up collection. It is so light yet gives great coverage. It has a nice scent, and I love the glass bottle with the pump.

4. Art Deco Dip Eyeliner - I used to be so crap at applying liquid eyeliner. I don't know how I can apply this little beauty so easily, but I can. The formula, the brush, everything about it makes it so easy for me to line my eyes. And it has lasted so long too and hasn't started to dry up or anything. Although, I am incredibly upset now that I have just realised Debenhams do not stock this anymore! I don't know what I will do when this runs out!

5. Lancome Hypnose Mascara - After trying my first Lancome mascara earlier in the year (Hypnose Star) I can confirm that out of all the brands of mascaras I have tried, nothing even comes close to the quality of Lancome. I love the formula and the wand. My lashes are so amazing looking when I use this!

6. Illamasqua Cream Blush - Remember the Illamasqua 50% off sale everyone went crazy for? The only thing I bought was this cream blush in the shade "Dixie". I didn't really get on with it at first, but I have worn it every single day and have not even hit pan yet! I like to apply it with the Real Techniques Stippling Brush or I tap in on with my fingers. Even if I am wearing a powder blush, I always put on a bit of this underneath as a base. It is absolutely brilliant and well worth the money,

7. Urban Decay Naked Palette - I snubbed this palette for such a long time. I didn't like the idea of "nudes", I mean what is the point of wearing eyeshadow at all if you are going to go nude? But when I first saw this palette up close in real life, I quickly realised that my assumption was wrong. These shades are all so beautifully shimmery and in my opinion they are not what I would call "nudes". I love bronzey, gold shades and this palette is packed full of them. Since I got this palette I have worn no other eyeshadows! I like the idea of Naked 2 and now Naked 3, but in my opinion, the original Naked palette is the best.

Do you like any of these products? What products have you tried in 2013 that you love? Please let me know in the comments below.

Lancome Hypnose -VS- Hypnose Star

I bought the full sized version of Lancome Hypnose Star, and in addition also got a sample of the original Hypnose. I thought it would be really fun to compare them.

The packaging of all the Lancome mascaras are incredible. They are so sleek and elegant looking. I especially love the Hypnose Star.

 This mascara comes in a beautiful curved tube. I love the glittery end of it, it just looks so glam!

The wand itself is very tapered at the end. One thing I noticed about both these mascaras is that they smell quite odd, kind of reminds me of permanent marker.

The original Hypnose has more plain packaging, but it still looks very elegant. This sample size is so cute, perfect for taking in my handbag!

This wand looks a lot more fuller. It is slightly curved in the middle. Here you can see them side by side -

So, now you can see the difference, lets see how they look on!

This is me with no mascara on at all.

This is Hypnose Star

And this is the original Hypnose

Side by side comparison

To be quite honest I do not see much difference at all. The Hypnose Star was a lot easier to apply, the wand is just so brilliant to work with. The original Hypnose took a few coats before I got the volume that I wanted. The original Hypnose was a lot "dryer" than the Hypnose Star. They are both brilliant mascaras though. 

I think if you are buying any Lancome mascara you cannot really go wrong. I would definitely purchase the full sized original Hypnose, but I am so excited to use my Hypnose Star. Plus the glittery tube looks class! 

Lancome Haul! Sneak Peek

I got a sample of the Teint Idole foundation last week, and I really liked it. As you know, I love budget beauty products and I don't often have the money to buy high end products. But I loved the look of this foundation so much, I thought it would be worth the splurge. I also really wanted to try Lancome Hypnose mascara. Debenhams currently have an offer in which if you buy any two Lancome products, you get an amazing free gift consisting of seven items. So... I went for it!

 Here is my beloved Teint Idole foundation. I chose the shade 03, a little darker for me but I thought it would be perfect for the summer season as I will be wearing fake tan, I don't want a pale face! I adore this so much.

 Each of the Lancome Hypnose mascaras cost £22.00, but I chose Hypnose Star as it came in this little set, with a free miniature Bi-Facil eye make up remover and Le Crayon Khol Noir.

This mascara is just stunning! I love the packing, the glittery tube just looks so glam!

This is the amazing free gift! You get a full sized Bi-Facil, Hydra Zen (15ml), Visionnaire and Genifique (both 5ml), a baby Hypnose mascara, a small Juicy Tube and a cute perfume sample!


I cannot wait to try out all of these products, and I promise more thorough reviews will be coming soon! I don't usually spend this much money and I have never tried Lancome before, but I think the free gift is so generous and it gives me a chance to test high-end products that I would never usually be able to afford! And of course if I do like them and they do work for me, I probably would spend that little bit extra.

Have a great weekend everyone!