My top picks of Summer 2014 (so far!)

Here we are in the midst of summer, and what a glorious one it is too! I am just back from a wonderful holiday in Disneyland Paris and as I write this, I am in my back garden enjoying every minute of this beautiful weather. 

It has been a great summer for some new make up too. I am particularly fond of the Clarins Colours of Brazil collection but I have tried out loads of new things this summer. Here is a small collection of what I have been wearing the most!

1. Skechers Flex Appeal Memory Foam - Not a make up item I know, but I bought these for going on holiday and I have been wearing them every day since! They are extremely comfortable, with a memory foam insole! It is quite literally like walking on air. I love these!

2. La Roche Posay Anthelios XL SPF 50 - I have been using this quite liberally, and despite the intense mid-30 degree heat in Paris and our beautiful weather here, it has not let me down so I would say this is  definitely one of my top picks for summer!

3. Escada Born in Paradise Perfume - This scent is just summer in a bottle for me! It is so fruity and tropical. I have been spraying this every single day and it has fast become my favourite perfume for summer. My only problem is, it is only available in eau de toilette so the beautiful scent does fade very quickly! :( But this perfume will forever remind me of this summer!

4. Clarins Lip Balm Crayon - These are the best things I have ever put near my lips! This shade is "Sweet Cherry", a beautiful but not too striking colour, which is very suitable for everyday wear. They feel so creamy and smell delicious! I recently tried a Clinique Chubby Stick for the first time and I can honestly say the Clarins Lip Balm Crayons are 100 times better! Please Clarins make these part of your permanent line!!

5. Clarins Colours of Brazil Eyeshadow Palette - I am still very fond of this palette and I wear it a lot! My favourite shades are the two brown shades, and I like to blend out with a little of the orange colour. The blue liner is really something! I never thought I would get much use out of the liner but it turns out I was wrong! I always line my lower lashes with it now, and it looks beautiful and lovely contrast with it and the orange eyeshadow!

6. Lancome City Miracle CC Cream - This is what I have been wearing on my face every day since I got it. It has such beautiful consistency and applies beautifully. It has that lovely elegant Lancome scent too (which I love) and of course has been providing some much required protection to my face with the SPF 50. I wish I had got it in the lighter shade though, as I constantly have to wear fake tan to make sure this matches my skin!

I would love to know what your top picks are for summer! And I hope you are all enjoying the nice weather! :) 

Chanel - Illusion d'Ombre - "New Moon"

I have been obsessed with this ever since I got it! I spotted it in duty free before my holiday (at 4.30am…) and I knew i couldn't leave without it. I tested nearly all the Illusion d'Ombre eyeshadows but "New Moon" stole my heart the moment I laid eyes on it!

The colour is just phenomenal. How can I even describe it! It's like a purpley cranberry, and wow, that shimmer! I cannot get over how sparkly it is. I could look at it all day!

I used to be quite fond of cream eyeshadows, particularly the Benefit Creaseless Cream eyeshadows. But New Moon is not like them in any way. In the pot, it has a mousse / spongey texture. There is a tiny little brush supplied but I prefer to pick it up on my fingertip and tap it onto my eyelid.

I wore this every single day on my holiday and loved it. I wore it on it's own, no primer, and it held up throughout a good portion of the day, despite the intense hot weather. In the evening time I would notice it creasing ever so slightly, but by that time of the night I didn't really care!

Now that I'm back home, I've been trying different ways to use it. I still like to wear it alone with just a flick of eyeliner and mascara, but now I do put a bit of primer underneath (my trusty ArtDeco eyeshadow base) just to give it a bit more intensity and longevity.

But after playing around with it a bit, I think I have found my favourite way to wear it. It requires the help of my old faithful Naked palette!

I used the shade "Toasted" all over the lid, and "Hustle" in the crease. Then with my ring finger I tapped a bit of "New Moon" over it to give it that lovely shimmer. I love how this looks!

Have a great day everyone!

Clarins Colours of Brazil Eyeshadow Palette - Summer 2014

Well here it is in all it's glory! I've been talking about it for weeks, humming and hawing about do I really need another eyeshadow palette? The answer is of course no, but I bought this one anyway! It is just so beautiful and I really wanted it for my collection.

The shadows are absolutely astounding, as is the blue eyeliner. I just think it is the most beautiful palette ever! Three lovely neutrals and that glorious peach shade. The top two shadows are a satiny finish, and the bottom two are matte. I really think that I can create so many versatile looks with this.

Also I wanted to mention how gorgeous the outside of the palette is. It is incredibly hard to photograph, though! It's much more impressive in real life.

As with last year's Clarins summer eyeshadow palette, I do find the eyeshadows are a little "hard" but still pretty easy to work with and blend out.

The eyeliner in this palette is much softer and nicer to use compared to last year's palette! I never, ever thought that I would wear blue eyeliner, but I cannot believe how well this looks on. The peach eyeshadow and the blue eyeliner just compliment each other so well, and look so summery and exotic!

Here are a couple of different looks I tried. I plan on trying more and more to see what this little palette can do!

When I first set eyes on this palette, I really fell in love with the peach eyeshadow but now that I have been using it, the standout features for me are the dark chocolate brown matte eyeshadow, and the blue liner!

I cannot wait to play around with this palette more and try out different looks with it! I can already tell this will be a summer staple in my make up collection!

Clarins Truly Waterproof Mascara - Colours of Brazil Summer 2014 Collection

Here is a mascara which was well and truly built for summer! I am so excited about this. I love the sleek black packaging - it looks so classic and elegant. I love how it looks so understated with it's plain black tube and gold lid with just the Clarins "C" on it.

The wand is perfect - it reminds me of Benefit BadGal, only a bit thinner. The formula of this mascara is quite interesting - it uses bitter orange tree wax and olive squalane oil in order to protect lashes against humidity, sea water and pool water! See, I told you this mascara was built for summer! There is a very slight orangey scent too, which is so nice and fresh!

No mascara

 One coat of Clarins Truly Waterproof Mascara

This mascara boasts length, volume and 12 hour hold. My lashes are already kind of long, so I didn't really see much difference with regards to length. My lashes do look a little more voluminous. The real benefit of this mascara in my opinion is the protective film it creates over the lashes. It is most definitely, completely waterproof! The formula of this mascara is "tougher" than any mascara I've ever used. 

I swear by my Clarins Instant Eye Make Up Remover, it never lets me down! It removes this Truly Waterproof mascara with no trouble at all. I was concerned that it may be a little hard to remove, but thankfully it is so easy! 

Also, I definitely agree with the 12 hour hold of this mascara! I apply it in the morning before work, and at night time it still looks as fresh as though I just applied it.

I will definitely be taking this mascara on holidays with me! I love that it is completely waterproof and is built to withstand humidity! 

Incase you were wondering, the eyeshadow I used in these photos is the Clarins Splendours palette, which was part of the 2013 summer collection! I really hope to add the Colours of Brazil palette to my collection, it looks so gorgeous!

Also, unlike the rest of the Colours of Brazil collection, the mascara will be part of the permanent line! :)



*product provided for review