Beauty Lovers Advent Calendars

 Liz Earle Advent Calendar £100* (free delivery until 4th December)

 You Beauty Advent Calendar £59.95 + £2.95 P&P*

Every year, I will be given a chocolate advent calendar from my grandparents (yes, i'm 22 years old) and each year, I still find it just as exciting opening the little door and having a cheeky piece of chocolate for 24 days of the month (even though we all eat chocolate all year round, but it's in the shape of Snowmen and holly...thus making it 100% DIFFERENT...okay?) . However, being a complete beauty junky, when these got delivered to my door, I suddenly lost all enthusiasm for my chocolate advent calendars. 

The first one is a Liz Earle advent calendar. As most of you know, I am a huge fan of Liz Earle. I've used their cleanse and polish for well over a year now, and although I dip my toe into the realm of other cleansers, nothing ever comes close. This is the perfect pre-christmas, skincare lovers treat. I appreciate that not everyone will have £100 to splash out on a lavish advent calendar, but look how amazing it is! The perfect early Christmas present for your best friend, Mrs or your Mum. It houses samples of all their best selling skincare, eye care, haircare and body care. I can't express to you how excited to am to start opening this. The end of December can't come quick enough..

The second beauty advent calendar has been created by Latest in Beauty to celebrate their 1 year partnership with You magazine. If you aren't really much of a skincare enthusiast, then this would be much more "up your street". The calendar is made up of 24 different branded beauty samples including Benefit, St Tropez, Espa, L'Occitane, Eve Lom and Dermalogica (a few of my favourites from the long list). There is much more of a variation of products in this one, from mascara and lip balm, to hair masks and hand cream. The calendar is worth over £210, so you are getting yourself an absolute bargain. It's like one giant beauty box! :) You can click here to go the site and take a peek at the products included (or if you want it to be surprise i'd advise you don't scroll down on the website and go straight to the "add to basket"). I, myself have looked at the products included (as I wanted to see if the advent calendar was worth the price tag), and I can confirm that it is! I'd probably use almost all of them. 

Have these interested you? Are you contemplating spoiling yourself or someone else during the exciting Christmas run up? I personally think these are a brilliant concept, I just wish they'd been around sooner. 

♥

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Autumnal Hair & Makeup

As I was in Northampton visiting Louise, we both treated ourselves to a blow dry at a hairdressers, as having long hair can take up far too much time to wash, dry and style, when we could be having quality chummy time instead (plus, there's nothing better than pamper sessions with your best mate). 

I would normally just get my hair curled or styled down as I am very boring with my hair, but for a change, I asked for something a bit more "out there". I have eyed a few episodes of The X Factor USA and spotted Demi Lovato's love for plaits/braids and wanted to see if I could pull it off with my little pea head. I actually think this style is so cute, and great for a nice day/night out. You could say it's a little bridal but I think the messy bun deters from that a bit. I wish I could replicate this at home, but alas, I can only do standard and fishtail braids. French plaits have never been my "thing". I've tried on so many occasions to try and do them, but I fail miserably every time. I'm now considering studying "HOW TO" braid tutorials on YouTube. 

For Makeup, now it's Autumn and the nights are drawing in quicker and the leaves are turning brown and crispy, I thought it apt to change up my makeup up a bit (maybe I was feeling a bit daring this day). I treated myself to a new lipstick from the YSL counter, I picked up this dark berry colour in "Rouge Pur Couture 205". For my eyes I used a "By Terry Ombre BlackStar Colour-Fix Cream Eye Shadow in Brown Perfection*" which is a lovely Taupe, Shimmer Brown.  I then blended it out on it's own with my Mac 217 brush & Voila. My new love and eye staple was born. Now I just need the rest of the colours...(Mischievous giggle).

Are you changing up your makeup bag this autumn?

♥

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Bobble Hat & Smokey Eyes

So, I thought i'd start this post with a little apology. I have been somewhat MIA, and although this may have been a slight annoyance for you lovely lot (or not, depending on how much you like to read my blog..haha) but it has been a positive time away for me. A battery re-charge shall we say! After my last post on "Just saying YES", I took my own advice and started doing lot's more things. Things i'd always been a bit scared to do, meeting up with old friends, making new ones and banishing my anxiety, as it had got quite bad. I also had somewhat of a mental block on the blogpost front. You know sometimes when you sit with a blank page/screen and you just don't know what to write? Yeh, that. FEAR NOT though, I have returned, with a much brighter outlook on life and feeling much more positive about certain aspects of my life. I was also extremely overwhelmed by the HUGE positive response I received from THIS blogpost. That is the whole reason I love blogging, being able to reach out to lot's of people and help in some way, even if it's just a teeny bit. 

So, whilst away from my laptop, I started to get into the habit of doing my makeup a bit more. Feeling a bit "meh" in general, meant I stopped doing creative things with my makeup or even making the effort to do it most days. However, I have started spending more time on it, and I found my beloved "Mekong" eyeshadow by NARS in the back of my makeup draw, and since then I have been having a full on love-affair with it. I have been applying it all over the lid and smoking it out with a blending brush, then applying my eyeliner for a more edgy, smokey look. I haven't been doing it every day, as it is quite full on, and doesn't pair too well with my beloved bold lip, but I feel like it makes my eyes stand out a little more. Mekong is a deep brown, with flecks of gold sparkle in it. Being a Nars eyeshadow, it's highly pigmented and will probably last me millions of years. I highly, highly recommend it! If any of you are also interested in which lipstick I am wearing, it's "Desert" by Topshop. 

Another thing I have been loving is bobble hats. This one in particular is from Topshop. Being small-headed (a pea head..ehem), I didn't ever think they would really suit me, or fit me properly, but I actually quite like them. I also like that they can hide bad hair days, or dress up an outfit AND keep your ears and head warm (it's main purpose). I can see myself wearing hats all of Autumn and Winter. 

♥

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New Love | Yves Rocher Mascara "Sexy Pulp"

Yves Rocher Sexy Pulp Mascara £8.45 currently half price (£16.90 originally)

If you read any of my monthly beauty box posts, you may recognise this brand as being something included in the June GlossyBox. I didn't really think too much of it initially, and put it aside. Oh how silly of me. I then stayed a night at a friends house and threw this into my handbag as a quick (and nifty travel sized) mascara option. When I first opened this, I grimaced at the size of the brush head. It does look massive, in length and thickness. It scared me a little, putting this near my eye. I once owned "bad gal lash" by Benefit, and that too had a very large brush on the wand, and I didn't get on with it at all. It was messy, difficult for accuracy and sometimes a little painful (bristles in eye scenario). Now, I believe  I have normal sized eyes, and that although Louise calls me Chumbolina (in reference to Thumbolina), my eyes are of normal size, so if you're thinking "but Zoe, everything looks big compared with you", i'm pretty sure someone else would feel the same way. Once I had gotten over the sheer horror of the size of the brush head, I went to use it on my eyelashes and very surprisingly, had absolutely no problem using it to apply the mascara. The shape of the brush allows you to easily grab each lash with no difficulty what so ever. 

So what makes this mascara so amazing? The first thing I love about it, is the bristles. They are really dense, which means they literally grab every lash, which also means minimum clumping. I am someone who really likes volume in my eyelashes, and this is exactly what "sexy pulp" claims to add, and I really feel that it does. It makes them appear fuller, longer and curlier than that are naturally and I feel like they make a nice impact without going to "false lash" measures. I loved the little sample so much, I immediately went on the Yves Rocher website, and ordered myself 2 in full size. I got one in brown, and one in black, as I do wear a variation of the two shades. When going for something a little more natural I'll opt for brown, and then if i'm going all out i'll go with black. I even stopped using and didn't repurchase, for about the 10th time, my beloved No7 Exquisite Curl mascara which I thought no other mascara could top. 

Here are some scary eye pictures of my mascara in use. I was wearing the black mascara in the images above and only had on 2 coats. If you were really mascara crazy, I think you could carry on with another few coats before it might start clumping. I would highly, highly recommend this mascara to anyone that wants volume, length and curl to their lashes. I had never even heard of this brand before, but that's the joy of beauty boxes, finding absolute gems in them, that you then go on to love and repurchase. Although this mascara is originally priced at £16.90, I was fully intending to spend that much on it because I loved it that much, but was pleasantly surprised to find it was half price on the website, so i'd hurry over and grab one if you were interested as i'm not sure how long that may last for. 

What is your favourite mascara at the moment? Have you tried anything else from Yves Rocher?

♥

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Foundation Review Video

I recently did a video reviewing 5 High Street/Drugstore foundations, and although most of you may have already watched the video, I thought I'd just post it here in case you missed it! I'm certainly no expert when it comes to describing foundations, but I did my best and I hope this may help some of you. I opted for a few foundations I'd heard great reviews about, and a few which I'd never seen before. 

I can also do an in-depth review of my favourites of the bunch here on my blog if you want me to do that?  Let me know!

Foundations Mentioned in the video:

Bourjois Healthy Mix Serum 

Rimmel Wake Me Up Foundation

Bourjois 123 Perfect Foundation

17 Hide and Chic Foundation

MeMeMe Flawless Cream Foundation 

♥

Review | Liz Earle Makeup Range

As many of you may know already, I am a huge fan of Liz Earle. Their hot cloth cleanser is the one skincare product I am always repurchasing, I think i've got through around 8 bottles of the stuff! You can read my review of the Liz Earle skincare HERE but for now, i'm going to talk about a new addition to Liz Earle, a makeup line!

It was only right that after launching their sheer skin tint, they would then follow with even more makeup!  I was super excited to see the collection as I knew that in true Liz style, it would be exceptionally good quality and I was not disappointed.

I'm going to try and sum up my thoughts on the makeup items that I've tried as best I can without boring you or making you want to gauge out your eyeballs (how pleasant). 

Natural Finish Loose Powder   

£19.50*

I am super fussy when it comes to powder. I don't like my skin to look matte, and so I like something to have reflective light properties or that gives a healthy glow. Although this powder didn't give me as much of a glow as i'd have liked (let's face it,  if I want a glow I can use a highlighter) I really love this powder. I actually find that it works really well with the sheer skin tint as that can be very dewy (I'm talking top of the dewy scale here). There is a whopping 12g of product in this plastic jar, so this is sure to last you a long time and in terms of pricing, works out cheaper than my beloved Bare Escentuals. This powder contains vitamin e, borage and avacado oils, so benefits the skin as well as just sitting pretty on it. I've not worn this powder alone, so I can't comment too much on overall coverage, but as far as setting other foundations goes, this works a treat. 

Natural Glow Bronzer

£19.50*

Now, the first thing you will notice, as far as bronzers go, is that this is quite a pricey one! However, the quality of this bronzer is perfect. It has a soft consistency, is easy to blend and leaves a very natural bronzed colour on the face. The powder itself is not overly pigmented, but this is why I like it. They have designed this specifically for a natural look. If you are someone who is a little scared of going OTT on the bronzed front, this will be perfect for you. It comes in one shade so far, so this may not be ideal for you darker skinned ladies but being a pale missy myself, I love it and have been reaching for it quite a lot recently. 

Healthy Glow Powder Blush 

£16.50*

Again, this is quite high up on the pricing scale, although nowhere near the price tag of my beloved Nars blushers (£21 *gulp*). This blush is also very smooth and soft and easy to blend and work with, and again, offers a natural flushed finish. The blush is available in 7 shades, the one I have is Rose 04. Although this isn't hugely pigmented, it gives such a pretty colour, and just like they marketed, very natural. 

Precision Brush

£13*

This was probably the one thing I was least excited about. I own a lot of precision brushes (mostly targeted for use with concealer) but they say that this brush is multi purpose. It can be used for face, lips, eyes and brows. It has a great thin, and rounded tip which would make use for all the above things very easy. They currently have 3 brushes, the one that most appeals to me is the powder brush, which looks really nice. They are all made with 100% man made fibers and all have a clear acrylic handle, which I really liked. It's stylish and different from any other brushes i've seen. 

Sheer Lip Gloss

£13.50*

This is the only product where I feel the price isn't quite justified. I'm not the biggest fan of lipgloss, but I do know that some of my favourite glosses, cost me in the region of £7 from the High Street. Had this been more around the £10 mark, I think I would have been slightly more inclined to purchase one myself. The glosses are quite sheer in order to give a very natural finish on the lips, which I know for a lot of people, is something they would choose over something with far more pigmentation. One thing I do like about this gloss, is that it doesn't feel too sticky on the lips. They also include avacado oils and shea butter to nourish the lips, which is a nice added bous. The colour I received is Quince 09, which although looks quite orangey (a colour you know I love) is more of a neutral dark toffee red once on the lips. 

Swatches

Overall, I was really impressed with the quality of the Liz Earle makeup line. I don't think their target market is young teenage girls however, and I can imagine that it will more suited to the more mature women after a very subtle, natural and youthful look. I personally loved the blush, bronzer and loose powder and would recommend them to anyone after something a little more natural. I like the packaging, it's not edgy or overly exciting, but it works and it represents the brand well. I also love that the compacts have mirrors, very handy for on the go touch ups.  I think I would have liked the lipgloss a little more if it was in a more neutral shade and a little less pricey. I do really want to try out a few more shades of the blush though, or even purchase a cream blush as they too look really interesting.

Have you tried anything from the Liz Earle makeup line? Anything that stands out to you?

♥

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Topshop Makeup | Blush

Topshop Blush £6 

Next in the Topshop Makeup Series, I want to go over the blushers. These are not my favourite thing in the Topshop makeup range, although I know plenty of people who would say they were. I just want to start with the packaging, I absolutely love it, like all other Topshop makeup items, it has the adorable black sketching, in this case, polka dots. The only thing I will say, is that after a while, the white background becomes a little more cream, and then there's no going back to that lovely white crisp casing, dangnabbit. 

The consistency of these is what makes them a little different from anything else I own, and certainly anything else I have seen on the High Street. They apply as a cream blush, but dry with a more powdery finish. I actually find powder blush easier to apply, as you just apply it with a brush, however, I do like to use these for a much more subtle finish. I think because it applies as a cream and dries to a powder, it gives a much more natural flush than a powder would. I also don't find it that difficult to apply. I just use my fingers, and dot it on my cheekbones or the apples of my cheeks (depending on which mood i'm in) and then blend it out as much as desired. The colours can look a little scary in the pan, but they are very easy to blend, and you can also build up the colour if you want something a little more opaque. They also have quite good lasting power, I wouldn't say it's amazing, but for £6 you can't really expect miracles (plus, you don't want to look like Aunt Sally for over 24 hours).

The colours I own are Head Over Heels (pictured on the left in all photos) and Flush (pictured on the right). Head over heels is my favourite (as you can see it has been used a fair bit...and looks pretty grubby). It's a gorgeous coral pink and I find that this suits my skin tone a little more than Flush, which is a lot more pink. 

What do you think of Topshop blush? Do you own any?

♥

My Everyday Makeup

I thought I would do a little post about the makeup I currently use on a daily basis. I always get into a little routine with the same products then once I get bored, I'll switch it up a bit and change the colour products around like lipstick, blush and eyeshadow. I've been rocking a dark or bright lip for so long, that I wanted to dull it down a bit and go a bit more natural. I'm enjoying it a lot. I feel like my face looks a bit more fresh. These are the current products i'm using!

Nars Sheer Glow in "Mont Blanc"

Maybelline FitMe Concealer in "Light"

Erase Paste Concealer in "No.1"

Sleek Blush Face Contour Kit in "Light"

Sleek Blush in "Mirrored Pink"

HD Brows Kit in "Vamp" 

Estee Lauder Eyeshadow Duo in "Raisins"

Benefit "They're Real" Mascara

Stila Smudge Stick in "Damsel"

YSL Rouge Volupte Lipstick in "13 - Peach Passion"

I hope you enjoyed this little update. I love having a nosey into everyone's makeup bags and I also find it useful to see what others are loving so I thought you'd like to see mine too. I want to review a few of the products mentioned separately as they deserve an individual rave, but for now I thought it'd keep it sweet and simple.

♥
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Illamasqua I'mperfection Spring Collection

As a huge fan of Illamasqua since they first came on the beauty scene, I like seeing all their new and exciting collections. One thing I love about the brand, is that each collection will be so well thought out, and have so much meaning behind each product and specific "look". I was recently invited along to see the new Illamasqua Spring Collection and I wanted to share my thoughts with you all. 

One cannot simply snap away at new products without a comedy shot of their best friend inside a blusher compact...

The collection is titled "I'mperfection" (get it... I'M PERFECTION = IMPERFECTION) Personally, I think this is one the best collection names i've ever heard. So simply but SO clever. The difference an apostrophe can make! It's all about embracing the things that are typically seen as imperfections and highlighting them instead of hiding them away. 

Alex Box describes the collection as "a stand against the homogenised nature of the beauty industry today, and a celebration of freckles, scars and birthmarks - the things that make us who we are. To borrow a line from Marilyn Monroe, "Imperfection is beauty, madness is genius and it's better to be absolutely ridiculous than absolutely boring". I love that quote! 

The first thing in the collection that caught my eye was this gorgeous blusher duo in "Lover & Hussy*", both gorgeous matte shades. The colour that stood out to me the most was the orange/peach tone, as these shades really compliment my skin in the summer once i've had a bit of sunlight on my face! Illamasqua blushers are my favourite thing about the brand. They are far more pigmented than plenty of others I have tried and the consistency of them is really lovely to use and blend. 

Next up is the lipstick. Lipstick was the first item of makeup I ever bought from Illamasqua as they had such a vast and interesting colour range. They have the best selection of matte lipsticks you will ever find, and the colour payoff is amazing. This shade is called "Immodest*" and it's a gorgeous vibrant, fuchsia pink. The lipsticks are really long lasting and contain vitamin e for nourishment, which is almost a necessity when wearing matte lipsticks as many people stay well away in case of major dry lips. 

Above are swatches of the lipstick "Immodest" and both blush colours from the "Lover and Hussy" duo, as you can see, all three are extremely pigmented.

Next is a brush* which really excited me! Illamasqua have designed this brush for a more chiselled and precise blush technique when applying. This new "brush up" design has an ellipse shaped head designed to tuck directly under the cheekbone. Gone are the days of big rosy round cheeks, it's all about creating more shape and structure to your face (hello fake cheekbones) and the best way of doing that is a more precise way of applying your blusher. I am so excited to start using this on my face, although it definitely sounds a lot easier than it probably is, and could take a few attempts in order to make it look just right. 

Besides the brush, I was also really intrigued by the new nail polishes that Illamasqua had brought out with this collection. Each nail polish is in a pretty pastel shade with a speckled finish inspired by the beauty of a bird's egg. At first I raised an eyebrow at this bizarre concept, thinking it looked a little like sparse glitter, but the more I looked at these, and when I saw them on the nails, I was completely sold. They look SO good! The two shades I have above are "Freckle"* and "Speckle"*. Speckle being my favourite in a gorgeous pastel purple. I can't wait to do my next manicure with this and I also think it would look great on toes!

In keeping with the campaign and collection, they had also designed a speckled effect for the eyes using the precision ink liners in black (Abyss) and white (Scribe). I would have never thought to do anything like it but it looked amazing on the girls, and sounded so easy to do. I also love the other creative ways of using other colours with your eyeliner. Who would have thought white cat-eye liner would look really good with a neutral eyeshadow? Not me, but now I really want to try it. 

The one amazing thing about Illamasqua is that their collections aren't just "pretty" but inspiring, and the campaigns that run alongside new collections are really interesting and make you think outside the box. If there is ever a brand to open your eyes to the creative world of makeup, it's Illamasqua. You don't have to be daring in your makeup choices in order to indulge in any of the products, but keep an open mind and be inspired. Makeup can become a very boring chore in our every day lives, but it's nice to keep everything a bit fresh and exciting, and I always feel like Illamasqua do that. 

Buy items from the new I'mperfection collection here on the Illamasqua website

What are your favourite items from the new collection? Anything you'd love to buy and try for yourself?

♥

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