Getting Festive

This year has gone by so quickly, it seems like just yesterday I was having fun in summer with the boyfriend and besties and all of a sudden I'm Christmas shopping ahh!! Whilst on the way back from the pharmacy and doctors I popped into my favorite boutique in Marlow, Huttons, they always have the cutest clothes, accessories, homeware and gifts. I picked up a couple little xmas presents and some home pieces but also a few other bits I want to share with you. All of course in the festive spirit.

These Hello Kitty Christmas cards were just too cute not to buy, different from my normal style of xmas cards but I'm sure my friend will love them! They had loads of different designs to choose from, I settled on these two sweet ones.

Getting in the festive mood again with this candle, I am a huge candle lover with about 4 different winter festive ones on the go already however this one was different to the others. This is a lot lighter and sweeter, not as spicy and deep so I thought it would be a nice change.

You may have seen my other post last week about the circle necklace (pictured above) that I love, it is  so delicate and small - perfect for my taste! So when I saw this teeny snowflake one I knew it would be the perfect necklace for winter. Normally I'm not a big necklace lover, I prefer bracelets but when I do buy a necklace I like them to be small and simple like these. Aren't they pretty together? I can hear the heart one calling my name...

I could get a good shot of this headband on it's own, as it is so dark and the light outside was going too but I think this picture does it justice nicely! Headbands are a favorite of mine during the colder months, who am I kidding I where them whenever I can all year round. This one is different to others I own, it is a lovely thick knit that is braided. I think it looks rather nice on me, they had it in grey and tan too so you may see this in another colour on my blog soon too ;).

On the first day of Christmas..

Today I have a lovely LUSH giveaway for you guys, I will be giving away 2 Secret Santa Gift Set this is the first in a line up of lovely giveaways I will be doing in the run up to Christmas. I am so happy to be teaming up with LUSH to kick things off, they are one of my favorites brands for all things bath and shower yummy. Every year for the last gosh about 7 years I've had LUSH in my stocking and under the tree, snow fairy has to be one of my favorite festive treats. I have already bought 2 of the big bottles, but my family know me well and I will no doubt have more come Christmas morning. 


The Secret Santa gift set is a lovely little festive treat, containing a snowcake soap and Lil lush pud bath ballistic. Sounds like a good way to get festive!

To enter I want you to tell me what LUSH products you will be hoping for this Christmas day? Or are you buying some bits for someone else's Christmas - I know I will be! Leave your answer in the comment section.

Rules to remember:

- Answer the question above

- You must be a follower on GFC

- Leave your email in the comment so we can contact you

- You must be over 18, or have your parents permission to enter.

- This giveaway ends on the 26th November at 5pm 

Review/Demo of Instyler

The InStyler is the new hair tool that is everyone is talking about, a hair tool that can straighten, curl and add volume - I'm sold! IT comes complete with a instructional DVD [Ok Ok no I haven't watched it but I was too excited] so you can learn how to create all the different looks, a small comb and a sturdy protective pouch to keep the iron in or to use as a heat mat so you don't set your room on fire! 

I like the fact it has three heat settings (low, medium and high) so you can tailor it to your hair, I have long but fine hair so I use medium usually. The Instyler heats up very quickly and the barrel rotates when you place the hair inside, however I am not a fan of the noise this makes. I like the added bonus of the brush bristles on either side of the iron, they brush nicely through the hair keeping your hair looking sleek and shiny. It literally only took a few minutes to straighten all my hair with this,  the Instyler has been the tool I have been reaching for recently it's quick and easy with fabulous results every time. 

The automatic shut off has also come in a handy a couple of times! It will power off after 45 minutes of no use. 

You can see in my video how I use the product, exactly what I do and how quick it really is to use. I am so happy to have been introduced to this product, the Instlyer is knocking the socks of my other tools atm.

The InStyler is priced at £99.99, roughly what you would pay for one pair of GHDs but with the Instyler you are getting a product that will curl and add volume too - it seems silly not to buy this. I can't stop feeling my hair it's so soft and shiny, I love it.

You can also find the InStyler on:

Twitter

Facebook

Youtube

Website

I am really loving my Instyler! 

This was a sponsored post by Handpicked Media for Instyler

Benefits Bella Bamba Has Me In Love

 What Benefit says about this little box:

Amplify cheekbones and create the illusion of sculpted features with this 3D watermelon blush. Laced with shimmering gold undertones, bella bamba is taking eye popping pretty to the third dimension...you'll never use traditional blush again!

Belle Bamba is one of my favorite cheeks right now, the gorgeous pink peach brightens my cheeks up and certainly gives you the WOW factor Benefit say. It isn't for everyone I've got a hit and miss relationship their boxed powders but this one and I get on beautifully. I really could gush about how pretty this is. It feels creamier than some of the others I have, so it left me wondering if Benefit have changed anything or whether that's just how this powder is. The pigmentation is better too, so you don't need to do a lot of work to get lovely flushed cheeks. 

The new packaging is great too, no more worry over if the lid will wiggle off and the new mirror is a happy addition. It makes sense as you have the brush with it, but before you would need another compact mirror to apply it. Problem solved finally.

Swatches top to bottom;

Swatched from pan; Blended out

This has got to be one of the prettiest blushes that has come along in a while, the lovely fresh bright with a subtle shimmer is simply perfect in my opinion. With a little buffing I have glowing cheeks, I haven't reached for anything else since this popped through my door. Belle Bamba will be appearing in a FOTD soon.

What are you favorite Benefit products? I'm rekindling my love with the brand right now! 

RRP £23.50 from all Benefit counters or on-line HERE

Ill FOTD + attractive plaster

Ok so lets ignore the massive dressing on my forehead, I actually liked my makeup a couple of days ago just didn't get around to popping the photos up. Where did I go with the face full of slap you ask? My bed and the pharmacy, oh the glamour of my life, being ill means I'm either in my house or with a doctor.  The dressing is now happily off but I have a lovely red scar in its place, nice.

Face:

Bourjois Healthy Mix Foundation

Clinique Loose Powder

Illamasqua Lies Blush

Eyes:

Sleek Nude Palette

YSL Shocking Mascara

New CID i-groom brow pencil

Lips:

By Terry Rose de baume 

Kisses for you all!

Cha Cha this way with Benefit!

Benefit is really impressing me at the moment, I have noticed the brand creeping more into my make up bag recently. The latest product that is quickly becoming a favorite of mine is their Cha Cha tint, one that is also becoming one of the brands cult products and it is easy to see why. 

Cha Cha tint is a juicy orange mango shade, that blends out to a warm peach on the cheeks. I am already a fan of their lip & cheek stains, but I prefer the consistency of this as it is slightly thicker, more of a runny gel. 

You only need the teeniest dot on each cheek, otherwise you may end up with very bright orange cheeks which did happen to me the first time I used it. Less is more with this. Be careful when you apply this too if you choose to use your fingers as you can stain them too, so wash your hands after. I have been using my Eco Tools blusher brush to buff this in beautifully. 

 The packaging is lovely too, the bright metallic orange calls out when I open my make up drawer and makes me want to use it immediately. However I'm not the biggest fan of the nail polish style brush, but I just dab the product onto my brush so no big loss their. 

Swatches:

Top then bottom; Applied straight from bottle; blended out.

I used quite a lot in the swatches as I wanted to show you how vibrant the Cha Cha tint is, it doesn't come across this strongly on your cheeks. Let me know if you want me to do a FOTD using this so you can see how I wear it. 

Benefit Cha Cha tint is £24.50 from any Benefit counter or on-line at

www.benefitcosmetics.co.uk

Timothy Han Christmas Candle

Candles are one of my must haves, I always have 2 or 3 on the go at any time, right now I am really loving getting into festive candles. One of the perks of winter is the rich musky candles that start popping up in shops, Timothy Han will be launching his Christmas candle online this week (18th November). It sounds absolutely delicious and I can't wait to get my hands on one, Orange, Grapefruit and Clove sounds like a gorgeous Christmas candle. Anything with clove suddenly becomes very festive, being paired with grapefruit really speaks to me as right now I adore all things grapefruit. With 50 hours of burn time this will last you through the festive period. Will you be picking one up?

£38 from www.TimothyHan.com

My lipstick party with Lipcote

You lovely ladies will no doubt be aware that I have a big love for lipsticks ( I will be doing a collection post soon - 3 boxes full!) and can never resist a pretty shade or a moisturising formula. It isn't unusual for me to have at least 3 or 4 lipsticks floating around my handbag, at one point I had 7 in my bag addict much? However since I have such a love for my MAC cremesheens or YSL rouge voluptes I always find myself reapplying by the hour, sadly none of my favorite lipsticks are terribly long-lasting. Step up Lipcote.

I'm sure most of you have already tried Lipcote or at least heard about them, Lipcote has been the number 1 lipstick sealer for the last 5 decades. Making the dinky product 50 years old, it must be doing something right for it to still be kicking around after all these years. So I wanted to put it to the test for myself, I had never tried Lipcote before, despite picking it up numerous times in Boots and Superdrug.  

Lipcote is simple, it is a clear liquid that you brush or pat over your lipstick and the result is some serious staying power. It does remind me of a nail polish, not the best packaging in my opinion but if a product works I don't care about the packaging. Plus they have recently launched a yummy new vanilla flavour - how did they know I love all things vanilla?!

To celebrate Lipcote being over 50 I had a mini lipstick party with me, myself and I. Mixing up some lipstick shades and testing Lipcote out. I was very impressed with staying power, this little wonder really does keep your lipstick in place - despite my best efforts nibbling treats and slurping tea it was perfect.

For only RRP £3.49 (You can buy this in Boots, Superdrug and supermarkets nationwide) I think it is one all lipstick addicts should have. Look out for my youtube video of me mixing shades and sharing my opinions as I tried it for the first time.

This is a sponsored post via Handpicked Media

A little bit of sparkle

I just wanted to share this lovely necklace and bracelet that I bought a few weeks ago but had totally forgotten about until I was going through my handbags looking for another item and rediscovered them all wrapped up. Silly me forgetting about these beautiful pieces. 

They are from a little boutique called Huttons in Marlow, there is always some lovely pieces and gorgeous home items. It is one of those shops that I walk into and cannot walk out of without purchasing something. 

The necklace was only £8.95 and the bracelet was less that £5 I believe, the had various colours and shapes in the bracelet but I went for silver beads with a black rope. However the necklace also came in a bow, heart and star, I was tempted by them all as I love delicate necklaces like this. My tiny cross is one of my favorite pieces, I like small charms/stones on necklaces I'm not one for 'big' necklaces. I like things simple. 

What do you think? I love them.

NARS Mandchourie Duo

By now I'm sure it's no surprise that I love NARS rather a lot, so when this eye shadow duo found it's way into my hands I was so excited to try it out. I have been looking for an alternative to my usual brown or black for a smokey eye, blue tones had never crossed my mind but this really works well with my eye colour it certainly makes the whites whiter. 

Mandchourie is part of the new NARS collection, more to come soon from the new collection. The eye shadows are very creamy and rich in pigment, you don't need much to get a good colour payoff. I have been wearing the grey blue shade on the left all over my eye lid, then smudges the dark navy shade into my lash line and into my crease. NARS products are such fabulous quality, I haven't bought a single product and been disappointed by it. 

Recently I have been trying to push my boundaries with my make-up, every so often I get stuck in a make-up rut, I'm sure we all do. Blue and Navy like I said isn't the sort of shades I would immediately reach for, but I have found that when I try new products/shades I seem to get more compliments - mainly from the best friend and my mum since I haven't left the house but that's still nice!

I have worn the shade the last two days and definitely think it's going to be my staple eye shadow for a while, I always do this when I find a colour I love it becomes the only shade I reach for. The circle of life.

Tell me what your favorite NARS eye shadows are, singles or duos. I need to expand my collection of NARS shadows some more.