Boots No7 Middlesbrough Bloggers Event

On Friday I was very kindly invited along to Boots Middlesbrough for a Blogger's Event at No7 along with some other local blogger beauts! I love No7 so certainly didn't wanna miss out on this event. When we arrived the 3 lovely ladies from No7 (Janet, Gill & Angela) had set up a table with tea, coffee and loads of gorgeous cakes. I had some beautiful chocolate cake and wanted so much more but I was going out for tea so had to resist- ha. The ladies showed us their brand spanking new indulgent body care within the 'Beautiful Skin' range.

No7 have really upped their game recently, they've done a lot of new consumer research and have started to cater for the younger generation as well as the more mature customer. The packaging of the new range is absolutely stunning with the lemon and grey. It looks so fresh and clean and has certainly given the brand a new lease of life. 

Boots have also set up their Christmas aisles now, so we were shown the new No7 Stands which look fantastic, and we were also told about the highly anticipated No7 2015 Advent Calendar (FYI, there's already a waiting list online for this bad boy so if you wanna get your hands on it you might wanna pop your name down here). For £38 for £148 worth of products, I can imagine this is gonna sell out pretty fast!

As well as this, the ladies also talked us through their Match Made Service. I think I mentioned they did a Match Made Foundation & Concealer Service in my last No7 post (here), but they've now added blusher and lipstick to their line up. So they use the machine to test your skintone and match you to one of their foundation shades, and alongside this, the machine then matches you with a range of blushers and lipsticks to suit your skintone. How amazing is that?

I had a makeover from Janet, as I was dying to try the new Airbrush Away Foundation. The machine matched me to the shade Cool Beige, and I was then given a range of blushers and lipsticks that best match that particular shade. I let Janet choose my Powder Blusher from the list, and she went with Peony Mist, a dusky pink which gave me a lovely healthy glow. I then chose one of the Match Made Moisture Drench Lipsticks in the shade Berry Shine. I was blown away by how fresh and healthy these 3 products made my skin look. Especially the foundation. It's so light and airy, yet has a medium, buildable coverage and leaves a gorgeous, dewy finish. I was given some in a sample pot but I think I'll certainly be popping back in for the full size once I've used it up. Thanks Janet!

If a whole load of tea, cakes and makeovers wasn't enough, we were also given a goody bag including a couple of nail varnishes from Essie & Nails Inc, a No7 Pop & Glow Cream Blush Stick*(Watermelon), a perfume sample and a voucher for £3 off No7 Makeup & £5 off Skincare. We were also given the chance to take home a full size product of our choice, and as much as I wanted to try the foundation, I'd had my heart set on the No7 Youthful Replenishing Facial Oil* ever since I tried the sample last time. I can't wait to start including this in my skincare routine, so keep your eyes peeled for a full review once I have. 

I just want to say a massive thank you to the gorgeous ladies at No7 for the lovely evening. I look forward to next time!

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The 5 Minute Everyday Smoky Eye | Eye of Horus Maat Dark Temptress Palette

Eye of Horus are an Aussie brand I've featured once on the blog before, when I reviewed their Brow Define Pencil* (post). Winners of the Latest in Beauty Best Eye Makeup Award, Eye of Horus are renowned for their smudge-proof, long lasting formulas and their gentle ingredients inspired by Ancient Egyptians, who used only natural ingredients such as Moringa Oil to create their dark eye makeup looks. Four new baked eyeshadow palettes have been added to their line up this Autumn/Winter and I was very kindly sent the Maat Dark Temptress Palette* to try.

The palette contains 3 neutral eyeshadows, ideal for a quick and easy natural smoky eye, or even a dramatic dark look with intense shimmer if you have a bit more time;

Amarna Light - Champagne Shimmer

Ankh Odyssey - Soft Taupe Matte

Dark Dynasty - Chocolate Matte

As you can see, the pigmentation of these is amazing. They're so rich and buttery, making them a dream to work with, especially if you're in a rush (or if you're me and have a toddler climbing all over your back and a baby trying to eat your toes whilst you try and make yourself look alive at 9am). I love little trio palettes like this as they're perfect for travel and always compliment each other so it's easy to do a quick eye look. For a quick 5 minute eye, I've been using Amarna Light all over the lid and brow bone, Ankh Odyssey blended into the crease and on the lower lashline, then using an angled brush and smudging Dark Dynasty into the upper lash line for a smokey eye liner effect.

The Maat Dark Temptress Palette Retails for £22.50 and is available on Beauty Bay now. | link

Have a great weekend!

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An Ode To Comfort | Nike Juvenate

Trainers are BACK peopleeee! I hadn't owned a pair of proper trainers (aside from some scruffy workout ones) in years as they became a bit unfashionable and only for teenagers or the sporty types. However, it's all changed in recent years, they're back and they actually look great with a pair of skinny jeans. Who'd have thunk it? 

For my Birthday at the end of August, I chose some trainers as a gift from Martin. I'd actually had my eye on the Nike Free Run 5.0 Trainers in Black for quite a while and had my heart set on them. This was until my cousin (male) rocked up at mine in the White Nike Juvenates. I tried them on and I was converted. I went online a few days later and ordered a pair in black (ordering my own birthday presents - HA!) and they were put away for my birthday a few weeks later. 

These bad boys are different to any other trainers I've ever worn. They weigh literally nothing - pretty much like socks with an extremely comfy sole. They have no tongue, making them easy to slip on and off, whilst the stretchy honeycomb-esque upper allows the feet to breathe, especially if wearing no socks. I'm really glad I chose these trainers, but the only problem is, all my other shoes now feel like wooden clogs. They're like walking on a bloomin' cloud I tell thee!

Nike Juvenate come in a variety of colours and are available from most sports shops and ASOS for around £72. | pssst. the white ones are actually reduced to £50 in JD at the moment! #need | link

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Top 5 Under £5

It's no secret that I love a bargain! I'd say 75% of my makeup comes from the highstreet (or drugstore if you wanna call it that). This is mainly because my I love trying new things and my budget certainly doesn't stretch to trying out all the high end goodies willy nilly. Finding budget beauty gems is certainly a passion of mine, and all too often I'm seeing people favouring high end over high street, and that's all well and good if you can afford to, but not everyone can. There's so many amazing quality products out there, and I can honestly say that high end isn't always better, it's just finding what's right for you. So because I like to share the love, I thought I'd put together my Top 5 products under £5. Enjoy!

COLLECTION LASTING PERFECTION CONCEALER in Fair | £4.19 | link

Yes, yes, cliché I know. Every man and his blog have talked about this concealer, but doesn't that tell you something? It's such an amazing concealer for covering any redness or blemishes. I've got dry skin, and it doesn't cake or flake and it's so creamy and easy to blend. For £4.19 this really is a must have. I don't use it on under eyes though, just because I prefer a brightening concealer for that area.

RIMMEL STAY MATTE POWDER in Translucent | £3.99 | link

Does what it says in it's name. Now, I have dry skin for the most part, but I do get slightly shiny throughout the day on my t-zone and chin, and for that I like to use Rimmel's Stay Matte offering. Also a product that's been raved about by Bloggers and YouTubers, it doesn't cake up like many powders can, and it really does mattify those shiny areas. I just wish they'd change the bloody packaging because every single one of these I've owned, the lid has ended up cracking in my makeup bag. Sowt it ahht Rimmel!

NATURAL COLLECTION BLUSHED CHEEKS in Peach Melba | £1.99 | link

Natural Collection is a brand I'd never even thought about since I was about 13. This was until I heard Lily Pebbles raving about their £1.99 blush in one of her videos. I picked up the shade Peach Melba and it's been one of my favourite blushers ever since. £1.99? Say whaaat?

MAKEUP REVOLUTION REDEMPTION ICONIC PALETTES | £4 | link

Now I've certainly mentioned these palettes on my blog before (post). They're well known dupes of the Urban Decay Naked Palettes but for a fraction of the price. £4 is absolute madness for the quality of these. I put 3 up just because I can't choose my favourite. All gorgeous!

ESSENCE LIP LINERS | £1 | link

I bet by now you're sick of hearing me bang on about the essence lip liners. But honestly, I haven't found any as good on the high street and the biggest bonus is they're only £1. I own 6 out of the 8 shades available (for now) and I love every one of them. Creamy, pigmented and long lasting. What's not to love?

What would make your Top 5 Under £5?

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MAC Brave Lipstick

MAC lipsticks - a girl's prerogative! Today I've got one of the newest members of my MAC lipstick collection, and one that's perfect for this time of year. MAC's Brave rose to fame last year when the world went crazy for the Kylie Jenner lip. Sales of Brave went through the roof, along with some other firm favourites including Velvet Teddy, Twig and lip liners Soar & Whirl. I didn't jump on the bandwagon at the time, but last time I was in MAC I was having a little swatching sesh and fell in love with Brave, so naturally it fell into my bag (in exchange for money).

Being the first Satin formula of my collection, I was a little apprehensive as to how I'd get on with it, but as always, I was worrying for nothing. Satins are semi-matte, so they feel creamier than a matte formula and still have the matte looking finish. I have dry lips so I tend to shy away from full-on mattes. I'd describe Brave as a muted pink with brown undertones, making it the ideal everyday nude lipstick for medium complexions such as mine. Being Satin, I've found this wears longer than my favourite Cremesheen formulas - probs 3 to 4 hours if I'm not eating or drinking.

Overall, I'm really pleased with this lipstick and know I'll get plenty of use out of it, especially in the Autumn/Winter when I'm wanting my nude to be a little darker. I must admit, I'm also eyeing up the Soar Lip Liner as my next addition to go alongside it. Some might say I'm late to the Kylie party, I say WHO THE HELL CARES? 

What do you think of Brave?

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