Latest In Beauty | The Glamour Beauty Edit

Hey beauties!  I just needed to share with you all this amazing beauty box I received in the post yesterday! I'm sure many of you will have seen this pop up on blogs, instagram & twitter recently, but for those who haven't.. I need to show it to you because you really NEED to get your hands on this extra special bad boy!  GLAMOUR Magazine have teamed up with Latest In Beauty to create the ULTIMATE Queen of the Beauty Boxes just for Christmas.  It's absolutely amazing, perfect for a special gift or even as a little treat for yourself (like mine was).  The best part is, it's only £14.95 (plus postage), yet the contents are worth a whopping £65.  Bargain much?  Let me show you what's inside...

#GlamourBeautyEdit

Eyeko Lash Curlers
HD Brows Eye Palette - Foxy
Benefit 'They're Real' Mascara
Maybelline BabyLips - Mine is the Mint Fresh one!
Balance Me Radiance Face Oil
Philip Kingsley One More Day Dry Shampoo
Toni&Guy Glamour Firm Hold Hairspray

How amazing?  I'm so chuffed with the contents, especially as I've been dying to try the Benefit mascara for sooo long, and the HD Brow palette is worth £20 on it's own.

You can get the Glamour Beauty Edit here, but be quick, it's only available for a limited time.

Mwah xx

#TheWinterProject #3: Winter Scents

Evening oh gorgeous ones!  Time for another installment of #TheWinterProject.  This week we are focusing on Winter Scents.  For this post, I'm gonna be discussing a few of the perfumes and candles that I'm currently enjoying this season!

Perfumes

L to R - The Body Shop Coconut Body Mist - Britney Spears Midnight Fantasy - Hugo Boss Deep Red

These are just a few of the scents I've been opting for on a regular basis recently.

The Body Shop Coconut Body Mist £7.50 - I wouldn't necessarily say this is strictly a 'winter' scent, as coconut is usually linked to summer.  But I've been loving this recently, just spraying it all over my body after my shower and it just adds a lovely fresh hint of coconut without being too overpowering.  I am definitely going to check out the other scents in the range.

Britney Spears Midnight Fantasy £20 100ml - I don't know if I've mentioned before, how much of a HUGE fan I am of the Britney Spears Fantasy perfumes.  I absolutely LOVE the original (in the red bottle), which I use all year round... but I am LOVING this one for the winter months:

Top Notes

Black Cherry, Framboise, Plum

Middle Notes

Night Blooming Orchid, Iris, Freesia

Base Notes

Amber, Musk, Vanilla

Hugo Boss Deep Red - I've had this perfume for a few years now, and always seem to dig it out when Winter arrives.  Think it's due to it's top notes of blackcurrant and orange - sounds like some sort of mulled wine perfume - lol.  Sooo Christmassy:

Top Notes

Blackcurrant, Pear, Tangerine, Blood Orange

Middle Notes

Ginger Leaves, Freesia, Hibiscus

Base Notes

Sandalwood, Californian Cedar, Vanilla, Musk

I've noticed there's quite a few notes the same in both perfumes.  Obviously I'm a big fan of vanilla and musk - lol.

Candles

I actually wrote a post recently (here) on how much of a huge fan I am of the Yankee Candle Wax Tarts, so I won't bang on about them again too much, other than say again that I LOVE WINTER WONDERLAND!! It's my favourite all time Yankee Candle scent, we get it every year and and it just reminds us of Christmas and joy! Awww.

Anyway, in that post I wrote about how I was probably going to buy a large jar in one of the scents we love.  So my Hubby surprised me last week and had one burning in another of our favourite Winter scents when I arrived home one day (bless).

Yankee Candle Sparkling Snow

Yankee Candle Sparkling Snow - We didn't get the Tart version of this scent this year and I'd actually forgotten how much I love it.  Hubby doesn't miss a trick and remembered how much we both loved it last year, so he made the splurge and ordered the big jar.  We have been burning it every night and it fills the house with weet, piney, fruity gorgeousness! Perfect for Winter!!

So there you have it.  My favourite Wintry scents!

Look forward to seeing what everyone else is loving this season!

Review || GOSH Cosmetics Eyebrow Kit

Heyyy everyone.  So I thought I'd do another little review today on a product I stumbled across last week.  I was in Superdrug and I was actually looking for the Sleek Brow Kit but they are always always sold out in my shade, tut tut.  Dunno what's going on with Sleek lately, 2 of my local stores don't even stock it anymore, and the one that does is always sold of out lots of things.  So I was browsing the other brands when I found this cheeky monkey!! To me, it looks very similar to the Sleek kit, but better, as it is suitable for all eyebrow colours (as opposed to Sleek's where you have to find the right shade for you) plus it's the same price (£8.49) so I thought why not?  Here's what GOSH say about this kit...

"It contains three shades of brown powder eyebrow GOSH Brow Powder (light, medium and dark brown) with wax eyebrows fixes (can also be used separately), applicator brush and built-in mirror. This set is suitable for complete beginners in the trial, as well as a pro. Package contains instructions, step by step that explains how to use products". 

So here's what it looks like...

GOSH Cosmetics Eyebrow Kit - £8.49 - Superdrug

I love the fact it comes with little instructions. Cuute!

As you can see, the kit has 3 shades and a wax cream, which I LOVE as it means you can even mix 2 shades if you are in the middle.  I use the medium shade and it's perfect for me.  I use the angled brush end which I really love as it seems to fit my eyebrows perfectly.  I don't really use the applicator so find that a bit pointless for me. I apply the medium shade and shape/fill in my eyebrows as I want them, and then I apply some of the wax cream with the same brush to set them in place.  Here's how I do them for everyday...

Before - After (it looks a lot darker on the photo. Strange)

If I was going on a night out I would probably make them a little bit thicker/stronger to stand out, but for everyday I find they just give my face a little bit more definition.  It's amazing what a more prominent brow can do for the face!

So there you have it.  I have been using this since I bought it at the weekend and I've been loving it so far.  I recommend this product for everyone.  Give it a go and see how you get on!

Have you used the GOSH Eyebrow Kit?
If not, how do you do your brows?

#TheWinterProject #2: Winter Accessories

Hiii all!  So it's week number 2 of #TheWinterProject, and this week we are focusing on winter accessories.  For this post, I'm going to put some ideas out there of different accessories for the season, where you can get them, prices etc.  Along with a few of my favourite choices.  So what's on the must-have lineup this year?  I'll try and show items for all different budgets.


Chunky/Fluffy Knits
I don't think they will ever grow old or out of fashion.  Every year I like to buy at least one new chunky jumper/cardigan.  Perfect for everyday.

L to R - Topshop, New Look, Primark, Peacocks & Primark

Knitted Clean Rib Jumper - £38 - Topshop
Cameo Rose Cream Fisherman Knit Tunic Jumper - £19.99 - New Look
Cocoon Cardigan - £18 - Primark
Fluffy Jumper - £16 - Peacocks
Feather Texture Star Print Jumper - £14 - Primark

My favourite?  Well  I own the Peacocks Fluffy Jumper in a grey/creamy colour and it's so so comfy.

Scarves/Snoods
The perfect finish to any casual outfit, plus it's a must if you're out and about on a cold winter's day!  Tartan is big this season, and looks perfect in the form of a scarf.

L to R - Zara, Topshop, ASOS, New Look, Primark

Checked Scarf - £25.99 - Zara
Scandi Fairisle Snood - £18 - Topshop
Glen Lossie Tartan Lambswool Scarf - £16 - ASOS
Black Cable Knit Tassle Scarf - £9.99 - New Look
Tartan Scarf - £4 - Primark

My favourite? Has to be the traditional tartan number from Zara.  Beautiful.

Hats
Ooooh I do love a good winter hat, great if you don't fancy faffing around with your hair all morning! ha!

L to R - Topshop, ASOS, New Look, ASOS, Peacocks

Cream Fur Pom Cable Beanie - £14 - Topshop
Textured Knit Cotton Pom Beanie - £12 - ASOS
Cream and Peach Love Bobble Hat - £9.99 - New Look
Pull&Bear Knitted Bear Hat - £9.99 - ASOS
Faux Fur Cossack Hat - £9 - Peacocks

My favourite? The Topshop Cream one, think I neeeeed it!

Sooo, which are your favourites?  Making this post has made me think I need to add some more winter accessories to my wardrobe! Love being snug!

Hope you liked this post and I look forward to reading everyone else's and getting lots more ideas.

Review || Nivea Daily Essentials Express Hydration Primer

Hellooo.  It's product review time!!  I've been hearing a lot about the Nivea Express Hydration Primer's for some time now and was debating whether or not to grab one.. until I seen it in Savers for a mere £2.99 (when it's £4.99 in boots).  I just had to grab it (as did my Mam, ha).  It comes in Normal/Combo (blue lid) and also Dry/Sensitive (pink lid), but they only had the Dry/Sensitive one so thats the one I picked up.  I think any other time of year I would have gone for Normal/Combo (had it been in stock), just because my skin really is your typical combination.. but my skin is also quite sensitive and the winter months mean it tends to get a little drier so this one is probably better for this time of year.  I can't do without a primer in my routine now and definitely notice a difference if I'm not using one. I was a little sceptical about whether or not it would work, as I always find 2 in 1 products a bit of a let down.  Although I like the idea for this as it skips a step in the morning routine!  Here's what Nivea says:

"A light gel cream which absorbs instantly so you can apply make-up right away. Moisturises your skin with Effective Hydrators & Vitamins for long-lasting hydration and provides an even and smooth base for effective make-up application.  Helps make-up to stay in place".

One thing I will point out is that the box is massive compared to the actual size of the pot.  I was a little disappointed in that, as I really don't see why they have to put the pot on a little cardboard podium inside the box (other than to fool us into thinking we are buying a bigger product).  They really don't need to do that as it's a BARGAIN price as it is!  Naughty Nivea!

The product itself is a very light gel-like consistency, which glides onto the skin with ease and absorbs really quickly.  It leaves behind no greasy residue like some moisturisers can, just simply the bare canvas ready for makeup to be applied.  I used it on a night out and it actually worked quite well.  I think it coped as well as other primers I have tried in the past and for £2.99 I think it was an absolute steal!  I'm sure you will get more hydration if you use a richer moisturiser and a more expensive primer, but for those looking for a quick and easy way to do both then this is perfect!  I'll definitely be looking in Savers for some more of these bad boys!  Maybe try and get my hands on the Normal one for Summertime!  Overall I'm glad I tried this.

Have you tried either of the Nivea Primers?  What do you think?

Yankee Candle Wax Tarts - Guilty Pleasure!

Gooood evening!  I wanted to share with you all one of my guilty pleasures - ooh err!  Now, I've always been a huge fan of candles in general, especially scented candles that fill your home with warm fuzziness, and create memories by being linked to certain times etc.  So when Yankee Candles burst onto the scene, I was desperate to try them out, but obviously the price tag for the jars is pretty hefty.  I know they last ages, but I wanted to try lots of different scents.  I was at my mother in law's house one day a couple of years ago and noticed she had a Yankee Candle Wax Tart Burner on the go and I just knew I needed one.  My Hubby and I went straight over to our local Yankee Candle Store 'Favourite Things', which is run by a lovely lady named Vanessa on our Village High Street.  We ended up being in there ages, sniffing all the jars and eventually choosing about 10 tarts and a wax tart burner.  We were instantly converted!  They're strong, they last ages, they're cheap and they're easy to use!  What's not to love?  One thing I will say, is that I do miss the large flickering light you get from a proper candle, so I have a couple of cheap candles kicking around just incase I wanna set the mood (lol) and let the tarts take care of the scenty side of things!  Prices range from around 99p - £1.25 most places so it's not gonna break the bank at all.  It's a much much cheaper way of going through the many different scents and finding one you really love!  All you need is a wax burner and some tealights.  I buy the unscented tealights from anywhere (NOT the pound shop though, I made that mistake and they were so flimsy and ended up melting all over the inside of my burner - GRR).  I ended up getting a second Burner for a Christmas gift from the Hubby so we now have two! We use one in the hallway and one in the living room.

Anyway, we only go to our little shop every 5 or 6 months as we buy a big batch to make them last.  We went just the other day and spent quite a bit.  Here's what we got...

Hubby and I agree on many of them, but he doesn't like the vanilla-type ones as much as me!  I tend to lean towards the lighter coloured ones, as a lot of the dark ones (especially reds) are too strong for me and give me a headache.  If we do get strong ones, we use them in the hallway so it's not too overpowering.  Our issue is, we've had so many that we now forget which ones we love and hate, so end up having to sniff the entire shop again when we go haha.  Gonna start noting them down!

We also chose 7 from the Special Christmas ones as they were on an offer...

Both of our all time favourite scent is Winter Wonderland!  It is so beautiful and now reminds us both of Christmas! Love it...

I think I might actually get this in a large jar and have it upstairs aswell as it is just so perfect for this time of year!

So that's that!  I can't recommend these enough!

Have you tried the wax tarts?

#TheWinterProject #1: Winter Nails

Hey beauts! Welcome to my first post for #TheWinterProject.  If you missed my introduction or don't know what I'm talking about, you can read my intro post here.  Week 1 concerns Winter Nails!!  For me, winter is all about ditching the brights and the pastels of summer time and digging out the deep burgundys, reds, dark greens and blues.  I actually did a post at the beginning of Autumn about my perfect nail collection for Autumn/Winter by Mavala. You can read that here.

I've been dabbling in Nail Art for well over a year now (since I was on maternity leave and needed to fill in my days before the baby was born) and I really enjoy it.  I love trawling the web for ideas and 'attempting' to try them out.  I must say I'm much better at doing them on a false nail wheel than on my actual nail, although I'm sure that's the same for everyone! Anyway, for this post I have attempted to recreate some Christmassy nail art designs that I have seen across the web* on a nail wheel.  Along with some of my favourite colours for this season.

1. Mavala Nail Colour Pearl.  Candy Pink
2. Mavala Nail Colour.  Sparkling Red
3. Mavala Nail Colour Cream.  St-Germain
4. Models Own Pro Limited Edition.  Matt Green
5. No.7 Stay Perfect.  Totally Teal
6. 17 Lasting Fix.  Royal Indigo
7. Sinful Colours.  Nirvana
8. Maybelline Forever Strong Pro.  Golden Brown
9. Collection 2000 Hot Looks.  Show Off
10. Angelica.  Spoilt Rotten
11. Snowman
12. Santa Suit
13. Santa Hat
14. Snowflakes on Red Nail
15. Christmas Pudding
16. Snowflakes on Blue Nail
17. Silver Sparkles.  (17 Fast Finish.  Moonstruck  + Topshop NAILS. Ice Crush)
18. Christmas Jumper Tips
19. Mavala Nail Color Cream. London.  With white polka dots.
20. Mavala Nail Colour Cream. Bordeaux

I've also included 2 photos of some nail art I created last year and had instagrammed.  I think they are lovely for the Party Season;

Glitter Pink with a Ring Finger Bow. Cute!

These aren't perfect but not bad for my first attempt.

Hope you've enjoyed my first post on #TheWinterProject.  One thing I have learnt from writing this post is that I have a limited amount of 'winter' colours.  I have my Mavala Collection and not many other dark colours from different brands.  Most of my nail polishes are summery colours.  I need to change this right away! ha!

Hope you've enjoyed my first post.  I look forward to reading everyone else's posts and getting some ideas on all of the new polishes I need would like to buy. ;-)

*I am in no way trying to pass these designs off as my own.  Just having a dabble! ha.

#TheWinterProject

Heyy!  After the success of #theSOproject, the lovely Kellie over at bold95beauty decided to create a follow up series especially for Winter/Christmas called #TheWinterProject.  This series will begin tomorrow (Tuesday 12th Nov) and run for 7 weeks (up until Christmas).  Yes, thats right there really is only 7 weeks until Christmas, EEEK!  The lineup will be as follows:

• Week 1: Winter Nails
• Week 2: Winter Accessories
• Week 3: Winter Scents
  Christmas Theme Starts...
• Week 4: Christmas Present Ideas (Beauty & Fashion for Males and Females)
• Week 5: Christmas Accessories
• Week 6: Christmas Makeup Looks
• Week 7: Christmas OOTD

I'm really excited to get involved in this project and know that it's gonna get us all sooo excited for Christmas!  As many people as they like can get involved.  Don't forget to include the tag #TheWinterProject on twitter so that everyone else can read your posts!

Much love!

Pai Skincare Trial Pack

Hey lovelies!  I just wanted to share with you all a cute little purchase I made t'other day online from Pai Skincare!  I'd heard a lot about this brand (particularly the rosehip oil) and was browsing the website when I came across this lovely trial pack with 6 samples with a FREE muslin face cloth for £5 and FREE P+P.  Great idea or what? I have quite sensitive skin and I'm always hesitant to try new skincare when it's on the more expensive side, so I think this is a perfect way to try before you 'buy' (whats a fiver really?).  I reckon more brands should do this!!  Anyway, here's what I got inside..

How cute?  I haven't tried any of them yet but I'm excited to try the cleanser and the sensitive skin cream!  Obviously there's a cream for each skin type so my skin won't get along with them all but for £5 you really can't go wrong.  Pai are experts in sensitive skin, so they are definitely a brand I've been eager to try!

Can't wait to give them a go and do a little review!  You can get the Trial Pack here.

What do you think of this pack?
Do you own anything from Pai?

October Favourites 2013

Hey gorgeous ones.  Another month has been and gone, which means one thing... another monthly favourites post!  Here's a rundown of what I've been loving in the month of October...

• Bourjois Happy Light Foundation in 51 Rose Vanilla
  For me, Bourjois are the bosses of the highstreet foundations.  They just seem to know exactly how to make them.  They certainly win my vote and their new Happy Light range didn't disappoint.  I've been wearing this on my face pretty much every day since I bought it and I'm loving it so far.  See my review here.
• L'Oreal Elvive Extraordinary Oil Mist for Fine Hair
  I posted a review this month on this amazing oil!!  If you don't own this (either this or the normal pump version) then you are really missing out!  I'm chuffed to bits that I finally found an oil that will soften my dry ends and leave my hair feeling weightless and flowing.  I'll be definitely repurchasing this.
• Maybelline Baby Lips in Cherry Me Yesss, I jumped on the bandwagon.  But who can blame me?  The new Maybelline Baby Lips are so cute and perfect for winter!  I chose Cherry Me as I LOVE anything cherry flavoured, plus the subtle tint is lovely.  I've been keeping this in my handbag since I bought it and using it pretty much every day.  Beaut! 
• Seventeen Skin Wow 3 Way Highlighter
  Who doesn't love a good highlighter? I've been loving this recently.  I haven't used it '3 ways', but simply using it as a classic cheekbone highlighter and it works really well and leaves a really subtle glow.  Try it out if you haven't already.
• Lush Shampoo Bar in Jumping Juniper
  I was on the lookout on google and twitter for a good shampoo for greasy hair.  My hair is quite fine and doesn't last more than 2 days between washes which is sooo annoying.  Even by the 2nd day I usually have to use dry shampoo on it.  A few people mentioned the shampoo bars in Lush so I thought I'd give one of them a go.  Jumping Juniper is aimed at greasy hair as it's a clarifying shampoo.  I'd never used a shampoo bar before and was a bit sceptical about the lather but it works really well and my hair feels really clean (it actually squeaks when I first rinse it off, lol).  I'm not sure it's made it last any longer than usual between washes, but the second day it doesn't seem as bad so I could probably get one more day out of it.  Been enjoying it so far, keep your eyes peeled for a full review.
• Primark Black and White Tartan Scarf - £5
  I was actually in Primark for their classic Red Tartan scarf but they didn't have any in (boooo), and then I spotted this bad boy.  It has now become my favourite scarf.  Its a great size, and lovely and soft.  Perfect for autumn/winter! 

What have you been loving recently?

Wishlist #4 || November 2013

What's on my 'most wished for' list this month?

Yankee Candle Christmas Wax Tarts - £1.25 each
Origins GinZing Energy-boosting Moistuizer - £23
YSL Le Teint Touche Eclat Foundation - £29
Essie Good To Go Rapid Dry Top Coat - £8.99
Sleek Brow Kit - £8.49
Pai Rosehip BioRegenerate Fruit & Seed Oil Blend - £20

What's on your November wishlist?