YSL Blush Radiance - 6

Anything that comes in it's own dust bag is a hot with me, normally because it hints at bein super luxe! 

Initially I was a little scared of the bright pink. but it works perfectly on my pale skin tone, making it an everyday product for me - although I tend to only wear my luxe products on special occasions.

It’s actually quite a matte blush with a tiny hint of a satin finish that gives a bit of sheen, it's certainly not shimmery, but instead has a lovely dimension to it, I think this is helped by having 2 shades with different finishes in the pan.

Also, the blush is very pigmented, yet still completely buildable - only a light hand is needed to get a wash of color on your cheeks, but you can easily go heavier if you feel you need/can take a bit more color.

I am seriously impressed with the staying power of this product, it is common for these type of blushes to fade quickly, I find my blush is the first thing to go when's make up slides, this however has great staying power.

I will certainly be adding more of these gorgeous blushes to my collection, they are a great wearable blush that is super luxe, I suppose the only down side is the price, they aren't cheap! But as a special treat or gift, I would definitely go for this. 

 

Real Technique Expert Face Brush

I own most of the Real Technique collection, but for some reason this brush took a while to make it into my stash.

The Expert Face brush is firm and broad for which is perfect for the application and blending foundations. All the brushes have Taklon bristles which are super soft and help create a flawless, HD finish. The fact that they're synthetic means that they're really easy to wash which is fan! 

The brushes are also cut to the perfect shape which makes application so much easier. 

I suppose the reason this brush is so popular is because it can literally be used for anything - highlighting, blusher, concealer, foundation... Endless! I think the Real Techniques brushes are amazing, such great value and easy to use. I'm so pleased I now have this little beauty in my collection, this is going to be a well used brush

 

KIKO soft touch blush

Adding to my newly formed KIKO collection is the soft touch blush in shade 104.

I'm a blusher lover, I have so many in a range of colours, and when trying a new brand, the blushers is either make it or break it for me, and KIKO have got it bang on! 

This shade is a gorgeous plum/pink colour that's perfect for this time of year, I love the soft texture and how easily it blends into the skin, I also find this blusher really hangs around on your cheeks, blusher is the first to go if I am wearing my make up all day, but these seems to cling on for longer. 

The blusher is £7,50 which isn't the cheapest blusher I have, but for the quality and staying power is actually really good value, you only need a small amount on your brush, it really is very pigmented and blends a long way.

 

Fragrance Christmas Gift Ideas

I know a lot of people who had already finished their Christmas shopping in September! But for those who are slightly less disorganised and need some gift inspiration, here is a little gift guide to help give you a few ideas when buying for loved ones.

Fragrance sets make the perfect gift for all types of people, from mums, dads, sisters and aunties who aren't really aunties Not only do I love receiving them, but I love giving them, its a classic gift that will never fail -  Here are my pick of the bunch with a little help from Fragrance Direct.

Mums/Aunties/Friends - Valentino Valentina Gift Set - £47.99

The Valentino Valentina gift set from Fragrance Direct includes a 50ml bottle of the signature Valentino Valentina eau de parfum spray for women, along with a 100ml bottle of the accompanying Valentina body lotion.
The first thing you will notice about this gift set is the gorgeous packaging, anyone unwrapping this on Christmas morning will know for sure that this is a luxurious and special gift, it comes in a dusky pink hat box style box with a pretty pink ribbon, once you open the box you are faced with two of the prettiest bottle ever, these are so stunning you would happily have these displayed on your dressing table.
The scent of the eau de parfum is floral and fresh 'opening with top notes of tuber and green apple, flowing into a heart of jasmine, strawberry, African orange flower and tuberose, finally rounded off with a base of cedar, amber and vanilla'. This is a sophisticated scent for sophisticated woman, its one of those scents you will smell on someone passing in the street and you have to ask them what it is!
What is also great about this gift set is the body lotion, its not a product that has been thrown together just to make up a gift set, buts its a really moisturising cream that leaves you skin feeling gorgeous, as well and smelling fab! 
I am absolutely in love with this set, for the price I think its great value and a guaranteed winner - to order you set visit the website here

Sisters/Best Friends - Jimmy Choo Flash Gift Set - £40.00

There has been so much hype around this product it had to feature in my gift guide. The Jimmy Choo Flash gift set includes a 60ml bottle of the gorgeous eau de parfum spray and a 100ml of the matching body lotion.
When buying for my sister, sister in law or best friends, I always like to get them something really on trend, something that has been talked about and that is going to make them feel 100% gorgeous, this gift set ticks all those boxes! The packaging is amazing, the bottle is designed to emulate paparazzi flashbulbs, and the box is equally as glitzy.
Jimmy Choo Flash is constructed as a fragrance which accentuates delicate white flower notes with a hint of spices and fruit. Top notes encompass passionate strawberry combined with tangerine and pink pepper adding exciting and cheerful note to white floral notes in the heart. The white bouquet is composed of tuberose, jasmine and white lily on a base of heliotrope and blond wood. You will love this if you love Marc Jacobs Daisy, it mimics these scents closely.
Overall this gift set makes an ideal gift, not quite as exciting as Jimmy Choo shoes or bag, but you know whoever you buy this for is going to be pleased. To order your gift set please visit the website here

One for the Boys - Marc Jacobs Bang Bang - £34.50

The men in my family are notoriously difficult to buy for, but a fragrance that always scores me brownie points is the Marc Jacobs Bang Bang eau de toilet spray. This fragrance is 50ml of a fresh, woody scent, described as a ‘refreshing and dynamic’ version of the original Bang.

Bang Bang by Marc Jacobs starts off with a fresh lemon scent laced in mild spice. After about thirty minutes the fragrance begins to lose its’ lemon scent and settle into a light, fresh wood scent which gently fades into the night.

There are so many fragrances out there for men but this one not only smells great but also looks great, the packaging is very masculine, which means that the boys in my life aren't afraid to throw this into their gym/work bags. 

For more information and details on how to order yours, visit the website here

A little treat for you - YSL Elle Gift Set - £37.50

After all the planning and organising of Christmas, you will deserve a little treat, why not slip this little beauty into your shopping basket while your busy buying for everybody else. The YSL Elle gift set includes a 30ml Eau de Parfum Spray and a mini mascara to complete the set, this scent is going to see you through the year, which is a lovely combination of Litchi, Peony and Amalfi Lemon top notes, heart notes of Pink Pepper, Freesia, Jasmine and Rose and base notes of Cedar, Patchouli, Vetiver and Ambrette.
Go on - treat yourself!

 

KIKO pencil lip gloss

I have seen a lot of hype about Kiko products recently from beauty bloggers and I have been keen to get my hands on them and try it out.

While at Westfields recently I paid a visit to the store and picked up a few products that's I'm really pleased with. 

The first product I wanted to share is the KIKO pencil lip gloss. I'm a big fan of a pencil lip colour, I find them really easy to use and reapply. I picked up the shade 03 which is a browny shimmery colour which is beautiful, the texture is really glossy which is so surprising from a crayon type product, I normally find these quite matte but this is the completely glossy. 

I find the colour pay off really long lasting and as not drying at all. I have a feeling this is going to be a go to lip product this autumn! 

This pencil is priced at £3,90 which is an absolutely amazing price - please let me know if you have tried this product, I'm really keen to get my hands on more colours. 

Natural Collection recent haul

I have always heard such lovely comments about the Natural Collection, and on a recent trip to Boots I noticed a special offer on the brand, you could pick up 3 products for £5! That was an offer I couldn't miss out on and decided it was the perfect opportunity to try out some of the Natural Collection range.

My three products included one lipstick in Rose Bud, one blush in Pink Cloud, and one pot of Loose Powder in Cool Translucent. The Loose powder is a great little product thats really easy to use, it comes in a little pot which is easy to despense and set your make-up with, this is a step I do more and more now, I never had to set my make-up before, but I do notice that it doesnt last as long if I skip this step.

The lipstick is a gorgeous dusky pink colour which wears really well, its surprisingly long lasting and moisturing, I really love the colour and is a perfect every day product. The Natural Collection blushers are well known for the gorgeous range of colours, but the actual prodcut is also fantastic, really easy to apply and blend, I notice a lot of beauty bloggers have these little beauties in their makeup bags and I can completely see why.

Please let me know if you have tried any of these products from the collection and what you think to them.

MAC Lipstick - Costa Chic

This little beauty has been added to my lipstick collection recently, and I love it! I was looking for a gorgeous coral colour after my disappointment with the Revlon Ultimate Suede in It Girl (I really didn't get it?!)

So I was looking in the MAC store and the lady next to me actually picked up this colour when it caught my eye, I really like the suitable coral tone this colour has, but at the same time it is very bright, especially on my pale skin. This lipstick is from the Frost collection which I am a big fan of, I really like the sheen it leaves on your lips. This is definitely a summer shade, it looks beautiful with a slight tan and a little shimmer gloss over the top.

Topshop Highlighter

I have been looking for a highlighter for a while now, I know lots of people recommend the Benefit highlighter, which I do enjoy using but I was looking for an alternative at a slightly cheaper price. I was recently in the Oxford Street Topshop browsing the beauty section when I came across this product, Its simply named Topshop Highlighter, and what struck me at first was this size - there is a huge amount of product in the compact!

This highlighter is also really highly pigmented, much more than any other highlighter I have come across, you really only need the smallest amount on your brush, this isn't a product you can chuck on and your ready to go, you do need to work it into your skin to ensure the product has blended well and not sat on top of your skin, the powder blends really easier so this isn't difficult to do.

The only down side to this product for me is the packaging, not so much the white plastic outer shell, its more the fact that there isn't a mirror in the lid, this is a small bug bear of mine, I like to have a mirror in front of me when I'm using a product.

I paid £10 for this product, an amazing price for such a long lasting highlighter, its really easy to use once you have figured out where you need to place your highlighter, for me its the top of my cheeky bones, above my eyebrow and on my cupids bow, sometime I place a little down the centre of my nose.
I have really enjoyed using this product, do let me know if you have tried it and what you thought.

Bioderma Créaline H20

It’s safe to say that Bioderma has really made an impact in the beauty world over the last year, I have been using the product for a while but never featured it on my blog.  Bioderma Créaline H20 is known to be one of the most gentle makeup removers and cleansing solutions around. For a liquid that essentially mimics water, it certainly has a little magic in it, especially when it comes to water proof mascara. The solution is perfume free and hypoallergenic, it contains cucumber extract to soothe irritated skin, enables dirt to be emulsified and surface hydrolipidic film to be reconstituted - Makeup literally glides off with no effort at all, its super sensitive and a real pleasure to use.

It can be a challenge to get hold of this product in the UK, but there are plenty of online store you can pick this up from, the famous French skin care product is one of my MUST beauty products, until you try it it’s difficult to explain just how effective it is. The packaging is fairly simple and easy to dispense, I have seen a pump action top on a few blogs but have heard a few negative things, so for the time being I am happy with the original. I have heard rumours of dupes which act in the same way, but for me Bioderma will always have a special feel to it.  

Let me know your thoughts on Bioderma and if you have used any other products.

Cocoa Brown 1 hour tan by Marissa Carter

It’s caused quite a stir in the fake tan market recently, and I can absolutely see why! Cocoa Brown is the brain child of Irish beauty lover and guru Marissa Carter, amazingly she developed the product while on maternity leave – nothing like multitasking! The reason this tan is such a hit is because of the quick development timing, the product contains hi tech accelerating agents which claims to leave you with a golden glow after just 1 hour, you can leave it up to 3 hours for a real deep tan.
1 HOUR = Light Glow
2 Hour = Medium Glow
3 Hour = Dark Glow

I was lucky to get my hands on a sample of the 1 hour tan and couldn’t wait to get started. I read the bottle expecting some instructions, there wasn’t much to go by which reassured me it must be easy to use, normally fake tan is riddled with instructions of what to avoid and how to blend, this didn’t so I slapped it on with the Cocoa Brown mitt (Which is pink!) allowing an even applications. What I was initially surprised with was how well it blended, it really sunk well into my skins, and the mousse itself is a light brown colour so you can use it as guidance, the other thing I noticed straight away was the smell, it 100% didn’t smell of fake tan – Halleluiah! It was quite a citrusy/floral smell which was lovely, something I don’t normal say about fake tan!

The mousse is very light which as I said before, makes it very easy to blend in evenly, after applying to my whole body I waited, I was actually really impressed with the colour straight away, I would have been happy to pop to the shops with this stuff on, it dried so it wasn’t sticky and wasn’t a horrible mud colour, and no smell! It was a clean applications, there wasn’t buildup of fake tan around the bottle so I could pop it straight into my draw with no cleaning.

I waited an hour and a half and washed it off in the shower, I didn’t want to leave it for the full 3 hours as I was worried about how the colour might be, but I needn’t of, I was so impressed with the results. I was left with a gorgeous natural brown colour, no sight of any orange, even the difficult areas (Knees, elbows, hands and feet) were perfect, I didn’t have to do any fixing work or scrub anything to blend, it was all done for me.

As a qualified spray tan technician, I know a lot of fake tans, and I can honestly say this is one of the best I have used, the product is fantastic, the packaging is amazing and the price is unbelievable. I would absolutely be recommending this product to everyone who is looking for a new self-tan, its super easy to use, you really can’t go wrong. Also available from the brand is their Tough Stuff body scrub, perfect for prepping the skin and removing old tan.

For more information about Marissa Carter and where you can buy Cocoa Brown please visit the website http://www.cocoabrown.ie/

Dior Addict Eau Delice

I love it when a brand brings out a summer fragrance based on their original scent, which is exactly what Dior have done for their Summer 2013 Dior Addict fragrance Eau Delice! Other brand who do this really well are Marc Jacobs and Calvin Klein, but I have had my eye on this fragrance for a while since seeing the super cute adverts on TV (I’m an advertisers dream!)

My perfume choices until recently were pretty safe, I stuck to what I knew and wasn’t too adventurous, However I have become braver and delved a little into more sophisticated scents, Dior being one of them. I am a big fan of the original Dior Addict scent, which I know a lot of people don’t like, my natural bodies chemical react well with it so I had high hopes for the Eau Delice.

Firstly the packaging is beautiful, the pink ombre is stunning and I really love the Dior Addict style bottles. Secondly, but most importantly the stuff inside smells wonderful, I don’t often use that word but it’s the only way I can describe it, its summer in a bottle for me with real fruity notes, what I really love about this fragrance is the transformation the scent takes on once its dried, you can really smell the cranberry scent that’s mostly talked about when this fragrance was released.

Overall, I love this fragrance, for me it’s a summer smell and I will probably only use it at this time of year. I have had a little look on the Debenhams website and this perfume starts at £52, pretty standard prince for this type of brand.

Please let me know if you have used this scent, or any other summer releases!

YSL Golden Sand (05) Terre Saharienne

This is one of those products I have had my eye on for a while, but because of the price I have always persuaded myself I didn’t NEED to buy it, but when in recent holiday mode, I treated myself – and I’m so glad I did! The YSL Golden Sand Terre Saharienne is an absolutely beautiful bronzing product with hardly any shimmer, as I have pale skin, I do have to be quite careful with rich dark bronzers and I end up looking like a clown, but surprisingly the pigment of this product is very light. I know people with more of an olive skin tone might find that a little annoying, but for me it’s perfect! Golden Sand is a rich, golden bronze with an orange undertone. It has very, very faint shimmer, which translates into more of a subtle sheen that reflects light in an incredibly delicate way.The packaging is very YSL, you know you have posh makeup when it comes in a dust bag! This is definatley going to be a summer time product for me, one because my skin needs a little colour to be able to wear bronzers well, and two because I want it to last! As I bought this product in duty free, it was a little cheaper than in stores, but after looking on the House of Fraser website I can see it retails for £34, this is a lot for a brozer, especially when there are fantastic dupes out there on the market, but as a one of treat its great and I know it will last a really long time. I am really pleased with my purchase and would absolutely recommend this to anyone wanting to spend a little cash on something special.

MAC Rosy Outlook Blush

Another sneaky purchase from Duty free!

I have had my eye on this blush for a while after reading a recent review from a fellow blogger, I play it pretty safe when it comes to blushes, I know what suits me and what doesn't, so I do tend to stick to pinks. 

This MAC blusher is the perfect colour for me, I love MAC blushes, all the colours are gorgeous, and they really last on your skin. I very rarely have the reapply MAC blush. 

This colour - Rosy Outlook, it s a really pretty matte pink, it's definitely an every day colour I will be wearing, especially in the summer! 

I find MAC blushes such good quality, from the packaging to the actual product, I'm never disappointed. Let me know if you have used this blush or are thinking of trying it. 

A treat from Italy!

For the next week or so I will be featuring a few bits and bobs on my blog that I picked up while away in Italy. First up is this stunning leather handbag from Sorrento, the shop was packed full of beautiful leather goods, I have been looking for a new handbags for a while and this ticked all the boxes. The choice of colours was endless, but I settled on this grey/blue colour and I'm so glad I did, I normally go for black or tans bags but this will look stunning with whatever outfit I wear. The bag was €49, not bad for a real quality leather handbag, I can't wait to try it out. 

MAC Lipstick - Shy Girl

After seeing Vivianna Does makeup talk about how she repurchased this MAC Lippy, I knew it had to be a good'un. So while waiting for my flight recently at Standsted airport, I thought I would make a sneaky MAC purchase, and this was first on my list!

Everyone knows just how fantastic MAC lipsticks are, what I love most about them is how smoothly they apply, as well as the amazing array of colours, so I picked up Shy Girl and I'm so glad I did.

I am normally a bright pinks or red kind of girl, but this colour has made a welcome change to my makeup bag. It's a nudey/peachy colour that has slight hints of pinks to it, the perfect holiday lipstick. 

This colour will literally go with anything as its so neutral. I'm so pleased with this purchase, I can see why Vivianne repurchased it!