New | Seventeen All Out Pout Lip Palettes

I've said it before and I'll say it again, SEVENTEEN are fast becoming one of my favourite high street brands. They're back on the blog today, in the form of the new All Out Pout Lip Palettes*. I'll be honest, I've never really been one for lip palettes, I'm more of a 'straight from the bullet' kinda gal, but I did swoon when I opened these and seen how pretty they were. There's 2 to choose from; Fancy Free which is a pink toned palette, and Woo Me which includes berries, reds & oranges. Each palette contains 5 shades aswell as a stand alone clear glittery gloss and a small lip brush. Both are wonderful but on the whole I'd say Woo Me is much more pigmented, probably due to the fact they're darker shades and they stand out more. Each come in at £7.99 each and are currently included in the 3 for 2 offer!! 

Fancy Free*

Woo Me*

 What do you think of SEVENTEEN'S newest offerings?

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Non Beauty Favourites #3

So I came to realise that it had been over a year since I last shared my non-beauty favourites, how naughty of me! I've been obsessing over quite a few things lately, so what better way than to pop them into a post to show you all and get you all hooked too! Martin and I always like to have a few TV shows on the go, and as soon as we get the babies into bed (7.30 ish), we get the kettle on, grab some snacks and run to the TV, ha! So this post is basically just snacks and TV... #sorrynotsorry

The Affair

This show has had me absolutely hooked! We pretty much binge watched the 1st series on Now TV, and they're now showing Series 2 every Wednesday on Sky Atlantic (or Now TV like us if you don't have that channel). It's really strange and can get a little bit confusing but it's so well written and the acting is excellent. Definitely one to try!

Walkers Mix Ups

I only tried these for the first time last night and I know I'm already obsessed. I'm slightly annoyed that I didn't know they existed before now. They're basically my 4 favourite crisps (Wotsits, French Fries, Doritos & Monster Munch) in one big bag! They are available in Spicy and Cheese - and I've got a bag of Cheese sat patiently waiting for me to demolish them tonight.

Puzzler Logic Problems

Yes, I realise I'm not 80 years old, but I do love a good puzzle book. I find them so relaxing and that feeling of accomplishment when you finish one is second to none - LOL. These Logic Problems are my favourite and I've found myself picking up the newest copy every month. Nothing wrong with a bit of brain training! 

Butterkist Sweet Cinema Style Popcorn

I was always a die hard toffee popcorn fan and would never entertain anything else. This was until I tried this offering from Butterkist. I (and basically my whole family) became obsessed and toffee popcorn became a distant memory. So moreish! 

Side note: Cinema style is not to be confused with the regular sweet popcorn - that's grim.

Chocolate Orange Popping Candy

OK so I've always loved Chocolate Oranges, think I'd go as far to say they're my favourite chocolate ever, and I do love them all, but my fave has to be the Popping Candy version. Every time they're £1 anyway I tend to pick up a few. Dunno how I haven't turned into one yet tbh.

The Returned (The French (original) Version)

Another programme we've been hooked on recently. Martin had been asking me to watch the first series for about a year as he said it was so good, but I don't usually like anything creepy so I was saying no for ages. When I eventually gave in I became hooked and we're now upto the second series which is currently being shown on More 4 (it's also on Netflix and there's an American version on there too). It's not too creepy and it's really well done and you get used to the subtitles pretty much straight away so it's not an issue.

What have you been loving lately?

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How To Combat Dehydrated Skin

Before I start, I just wanna say that I naturally have dry skin that occasionally feels dehydrated. I feel as though there's always huge confusion between dry and dehydrated skin. Dry skin is a skin condition related to oil production, that's usually hereditary or caused by hormones etc, whilst dehydrated skin is actually a skin complaint, related to lack of moisture and can show it's face in all different skin types, not just dry skin as many assume. Dehydrated skin can be aggravated depending on lifestyle & skin care, and can therefore be rectified if these areas are looked at. When the skin is dehydrated, the epidermis is suffering from a lack of water, which leads to tight, rough, dull skin that feels generally uncomfortable and needs much more than just plain old moisturiser. Dehydrated skin needs humectant products that will help the skin to retain moisture. I've got some tips on how to combat dehydrated skin that I've learnt over the years so I thought I'd share them today...

1. DRINK MORE WATER 

- obviously, that goes without saying, as we all know that drinking water is one of the best ways to hydrate the skin from the inside, but it's so easy to forget. I for one definitely don't drink anywhere near as much as I should. Having said that, if your skin is truly dehydrated, simply drinking more water won't be the cure, you're gonna need to combine that with some humectants...

2. USE A HYALURONIC ACID SERUM

- this is the game changer for dehydrated skin. Hyaluronic acid holds upto 1000 times it's own weight in water, making it great to apply after cleansing, giving it chance to sink in and absorb all of the other moisturising products you're going to apply after.

3. USE A FACIAL OIL

- one that gets a lot of confusion. As I said above, dehydration can present itself within oily skin types, and more often than not I hear people saying they cannot use facial oils because they already have oily skin. This is not the case at all. Oily skin is often aggravated by a lack of moisture in the skin, thus the skin produces more oil to try and combat this. Therefore, if used with the steps above, the skin will become a lot more hydrated from deep down and thus not need to produce excess oil. I use a facial oil twice a day religiously, and I couldn't be without one.

4. MOISTURISE

- obviously, moisturising is important in keeping the top layer of the skin moist and plump, but it will only work to it's full effect to combat dehydration if the steps above are followed. Choose a moisturiser that's for your skin type.

5. TRY AN OVERNIGHT MASK/ SLEEPING CREAM

- not a necessity, but with my skin being both dry and dehydrated (at times), I've found these really help in plumping the skin and giving an overall healthy glow. I genuinely notice a difference on the mornings when I have used an overnight treatment.

What are your top tips to combat dehydrated skin?

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Freedom Makeup Wishlist

So Freedom Makeup is now available at Superdrug, this is not a drill, I repeat, this is NOT A DRILL! If you didn't already know, Freedom is a pro 'sister' brand of Makeup Revolution, which is an absolutely amazing and unbelievably affordable brand available in Superdrug. I've been reading more and more about Freedom recently and it looks like they do some amazing dupes of high end products - I love a dupe me, and knowing they're made by the people of MUR, I just know they'll be great quality. I was really excited to find out they were now available online at Superdrug and slowly being filtered into stores across the UK. So much so that I've put together a cheeky little wishlist (let's be honest, I'm probably gonna make an order as soon as I've finished writing this to utilise Superdrug's current 3 for 2 offer, ha!).

Freedom Pro Contour Stick in Medium 01 - £5 | link

Freedom Pro Brow Pommade in Soft Brown - £5 | link

Freedom Pro Glow in Roar - £3.50 | link

Freedom Pro Correct Palette - £5 | link

Freedom Pro Melts in Up - £3 | link

Freedom Studio Solid Brush Bath - £7 | link

Freedom Studio Glow Tonic - £6 | link

Freedom Pro Studio Strobe Cream - £8 | link

Really excited to see that they do a dupe of the Pixi Glow Tonic (£18), definitely be trying that!!

Have you tried anything from Freedom yet?

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New | Seventeen Easy On The Eye Palettes | Birthday Suit & The Big Smoke

Ooooh don't you just love a new launch? I bet you're probably sick of me ranting on about SEVENTEEN by now, but I tell you what, they're fast becoming one of my favourite brands. 

One of SEVENTEEN's latest launches, are the Easy On The Eye Eyeshadow palettes. There's 2 to choose from, and I might have let out a very high pitched squeal when they both arrived at my door unexpected last week. Obviously, I had to get them on here asap to show you....

Birthday Suit* | link

Birthday Suit

Reminding me very much of the Sleek eyeshadow palettes, these palettes are housed in a sleek *ahem*, matte black, slim case with a full sized mirror and 12 round shadows inside. Birthday Suit* contains 8 powder eyeshadows, 3 cream eyeshadows and a primer. It also contains a dual ended brush that is a major step up from the usual foam applicators that nobody ever uses. Well done SEVENTEEN. I'll do my best to describe the shades below...

Left to right, top to bottom:

1. Gentle Pink - a light, metallic, peach pink.
2. Warm Ivory - a cool toned shimmery pink.

3. Sun Kissed Peach - a warm, pink toned light matte brown.

4. Radiant Gold - a metallic pink tinged bronze.

5. Cool Rose - a light, pink tinged bronze cream.

6. Warm Mink - a light peach cream.

7. Toasted Almond - a matte ivory.

8. Basked Chestnut - a metallic, almost glittery gold.

9. Bronzed Buff - a cool toned, light, shimmery taupe.

10. Burnt Copper - a deep, red tinged metallic bronze.

11. Pink Flush - a neutral, mid toned bronze cream.
12. Eye Primer -  (no swatch below as it's clear).

All in all, for £7.99, this is a fab little palette. The pigmentation on some of the powders isn't quite as good as others, but they all blend well and the creams are great. What I love about it most is the fact there's a mixture of both powder and creams, and the creams can double up as highlighters, making it ideal for travel. I am quite sceptical though, about how this will hold up in time, as no doubt some powder will fall into the creams, creating a bit of a mess. We'll see though ey?

If you're not into warm, neutral shades or if you're like me and already have a massive stash of these kind of palettes, then why not try the cooler, smokier version....

The Big Smoke | link

I'd say The Big Smoke* is Birthday Suit's cool toned, smoky sister, reminding me of UD's Naked Smoky. Again containing 8 powders, 3 creams and an eye primer. The shades are as follows;

Left to right, top to bottom:

1. Twilight Blue - a satin mid toned blue.

2. Onyx Black - a deep, taupe toned glittery plum.

3. Cocoa Brown - a light, blue tinged grey.

4. Slate Grey - a metallic, cool toned taupe.

5. Smoky Marble - a light, metallic, silver cream.

6. Cloudy Lilac - a bright, copper cream.

7. Wild Khaki - a matte, cool toned dusky plum.

8. Warm Ivory - a light matte taupe.

9. Cool Aluminium - a soft, mid toned lilac.

10. Pink Flush - a creamy, yellow toned ivory.

11. Illuminating Bronze - a light, pink, metallic cream.

12. Eye Primer - not a shade but an eyeshadow primer.

Again, the pigmentation differs depending on shade, but I'd say it's certainly worth £7.99. I absolutely love the cream shades in this one. Great for Autumn. 

What do you think of these new releases?

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