Smashbox Light it Up Christmas Sets – Lipsticks and Blush

Blush and lipstick are kinda my thing so when spotted these on Instagram I knew they would have to be mine! I love Smashbox eyeshadows and their contour powder but haven’t tried anything from their lipstick range or the blushes so these two sets are perfect to try the formula out or just add to your collection!

They have collaborated with California neon artist Meryl Pataky to bring these limited edition sets out and each is housed in a neon plastic container. I originally thought this was a drawer but it’s a container with a lid that's really hard wearing and bright and perfect for makeup storage! You can see the Neon packaging a little better in this Instagram photo!

Smashbox Light it Up: Lipstick and Mattifier Set £25

I actually first saw this while I was having my yearly flick though the Boots Christmas book and swiftly added it to my list then got it for my birthday a few weeks ago! I've wanted to try the Be Legendary lipsticks for ages now but a full size is £17.50 and I wasn’t completely sure what shade I wanted so this seemed like the perfect way to try the formula and a few different shades! I also think its great value – a full size lipstick is 3g but there are 6 minis in this set at 2.4g each as well as a Insta-Matte Lipstick Transformer. The 6 shades included are all in the cream formulation and the shades are Famous (a nude), Primrose (a perfect pinky nude daily type shade for me), Fig (a plum great for this time of year), Legendary (a bright red), Tabloid (a purple) and Inspiration (a bright pink).

Smashbox Be Legendary crema lipsticks in Famous, Fig and Primrose

I’ve only tried half of the shades as the last three I mentioned aren’t shades I go for normally and I might actually just sell them but I’m really enjoying the three I have been wearing, especially Primrose! I have found that these creams aren’t as long lasting as say the Charlotte Tilbury KISSING lipsticks which is a little disappointing as the full size are still quite a high price point but overall I do really like them. They feel very moisturising and give a good amount of pigment. Plus the addition of the Insta-Matte Lipstick Transformer to put over the top giving you a velvety matte finish is a nice touch although the matte does still transfer a little!

Smashbox Light it Up: LA Lights Blush Mega Palette £39

I tried and I tried to resist this palette but when a 15% off email fell into my inbox I gave in and boy am I glad I did! First off, I love the matte black plastic packaging with the red edging and the huge mirror inside. The closure is not the most secure – it’s not magnetic and doesn’t snap but I still think it would be safe enough to travel with. Inside are 9 pans of blush, bronzer and highlight – 6 mattes and 3 shimmers. The top row sticks to coral shades and the second row covers berry shades then down the way are the rich shades, true shades and the right hand side of the palette is the highlight side.

I have been using this nonstop since I got it and I love it! Matte blushes are my favourite so they have been in constant rotation. The palette is classed as a blush, contour and highlight palette and I think Rich Bronze is just a tad warm to straight up contour with but it’s lovely to warm up the face. As usual, I haven’t used the highlighters much but they are very subtle and would do great as a bush topper if you wanted something on top of the matte blush!

All the blushes have the perfect amount of pigmentation and are easy to build up and they last all day on my skin. I think this palette is exclusive to the Smashbox website as it’s not on Boots and like I said they always have great offers on if you did want to treat yourself!

Overall, I think these are two perfect gift sets for anyone looking to expand or add to their lipstick or blush collection and I’m so happy to have them in my own collection! Have you tried anything from Smashbox before? What makeup sets have you got your eye on this Christmas?

Danielle xx

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False Eyelashes and my Application Tips

I remember the first time I wore a pair of false lashes years ago on a night out at uni and loving the difference they made. They were the Eylure Girls Aloud (Nadine) ones if I remember correctly and they just made me feel so much more “done” if that makes sense? I vowed I would never go out again without a pair of lashes on but that didn’t last long and I generally have a love/hate relationship with false lashes. On one hand I love the added length, volume and definition they give but I hate the extra time they take and as someone who is usually rushing to get ready, false lashes are the first thing to get left out unfortunately!

When I do wear them, I am mostly loyal to the infamous Ardell Demi Wispies and the underrated No.7 Natural Volume lashes but I was excited to try some new natural lashes when falseeyelashes.co.uk got in touch! It was perfect timing too as I was on holiday last week so had some extra time to apply them as we weren’t in a rush!

I was sent a couple of pairs so here’s what I thought of them and my application tips if you’re a newbie to lashes! Also, apologies I don’t have any photos of them on me but I forgot my camera when I was on holiday and I've never been great at taking close ups of my eyes! The falseeyelashes.co.uk website shows the lashes on a models eye though!

Lashes by Samantha Oh! So Natural false lashes by Sam Faiers £5*

I knew I would get on with these as soon as I saw them! They are a gorgeous pair of lashes with a really subtle flare at the end of the lash. These are the first pair of lashes to fit my eyes perfectly and I loved that I didn’t have to cut them! They are really lightweight and comfortable to wear and came with lash glue included. I’ll say that I didn’t love the lash glue though – it felt a little like a gel but I don’t think the lashes felt as secure as when I use my usual DUO glue! The second time I went to use the glue that came with them I found it had dried around the lid a lot too so I was definitely glad I had my DUO with me!

I know I’ve read that Sam suffers with a compulsion to pull her eyelashes out so I think she is a great person to put her name to false lashes and there seems to be a few other lashes in her range if you want more drama!

Red Cherry #747S eyelashes (Primrose) £3.99*

Red Cherry is a brand I’ve heard a lot about but I had never tried and when I first saw these, I thought they looked so different to what I normally go for because they seem to have more length in the middle then taper towards each end. I had to trim these lashes by three segments as the lash line was so long! They are made of real hair and although the description says they are “short length falsies” I would disagree as they are quite long when they are on. Saying that, they do give a lovely full lash effect but are a bit more dramatic than what I go for. I do have hooded eyes though so that could be why I felt like that! These are also lightweight on the lash line but bear in mind that these don’t come with a tube of glue. This isn’t something that bothers me as I always have a tube of DUO and I find the lash glue that comes with most falsies dries out quickly and is only good for one application anyway!

Anytime I wear a new pair of lashes I like to have a few things by my side namely some tweezers, nail scissors and some DUO glue and then I’ll follow these steps!

1.      Gently remove the lash from the packaging and check how it fits against your eye. If it's too long for your eye line, trim the outer edge with nail scissors to fit. Bend the lash a little to loosen it up so it’s less likely to lift at the ends.

2.      Grab a pair of tweezers and hold the middle of the lash while applying a thin, even layer of glue all over the band.

3.      Hold for about 20 -30 seconds to allow the glue to half dry and go tacky so it sticks easier to the lash line.

4.      Using the tweezers, find the centre of your lash line and stick the band here then grab each end in turn and place them as close to your lash line as possible.

5.      Allow to dry then using the tweezers or your fingers make sure the falsies are blended with your own lashes – I sometimes add another coat of mascara as well!

Oh and just a quick word on DUO - I don't know how many tubes of this I have thrown out straight after opening because I though it was off, the stuff stinks! It has an awful fishy smell which is completely normal according to the Internet and it does dry scent free and clear thankfully!

The falseeyelashes.co.uk website has a really great range of lashes including Ardell, Eylure and House of Lashes as well as mascara and brow products at really affordable prices and they offer free first class delivery in the UK! I’ll definitely be ordering from them in the future!

Let me know what your favourite false lashes are!

*denotes a PR sample that was sent to me. All opinions are my own.

Danielle xx

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My Favourite Makeup Brushes #2

I did a “My Favourite Makeup Brushes” post way back last year and although all those brushes are still in daily use, there are a few more that I use regularly so I thought I would do a little update!

Zoeva 102 Silk Finish Brush (from the Rose Golden set)

I really didn’t like this brush to begin with and it sat unloved in my brush pot because I found it left a streaky finish with my usual liquid foundations. That all changed when I got the Vincent Longo Water Canvas Crème-to-Powder foundation* recently. I found the sponge that came with the foundation didn’t give me enough coverage and my usual fail safe Beauty Blender had the same problem so I dug around for this and it works perfectly! It helps build up coverage and it’s so easy to work into the skin because the bristles are so tightly packed.

Real Techniques Blush Brush

This is a brush that I used to use daily about 3 years ago for blush until I felt it was putting a little too much blush on my cheeks and I switched to an angled blush brush (how many times can I say blush and brush in a sentence). Nowadays, I much prefer this as a bronzer brush and I love it with NARS Laguna and Charlotte Tilbury Bronze in particular!

Real Techniques Duo Fibre Face Brush from the Duo Fibre set

As someone who has a tendency to be a little heavy handed with blush this brush is a godsend for blending! If I have gone overboard it does such good job of helping to fade it a little and make my blush look more natural!

Morphe B8 Badger Deluxe Fan Brush

With my fear of highlighter, this brush means that anytime I apply it, it’s subtle exactly how I like it! The brush is very soft and I would prefer the bristles to be a little stiffer but it does the job and it didn’t break the bank!

Zoeva 232 Luxe Classic Shader from the Rose GoldenVol. 2 Complete Eye Set

I've been using this brush to highlight my inner corner and brow bone and really like it! It’s quite stiff and allows you to be quite precise too so is great for applying the likes of the Makeup Geek foiled eyeshadows all over the lid!

Zoeva 227 Luxe Soft Definer from the Rose Golden Vol.2 Complete Eye Set

This has replaced my beloved RT angled shadow brush as my preferred eyeshadow blender brush now! It is the perfect size and just makes blending so easy and I now have three of these babies! I also have a full review of the set these last two brushes came in here!

Anastasia Beverly Hills #12 Large Synthetic Duo Brow Brush

This brush makes applying Anastasia Dipbrow Pomade a doddle! It’s quite a stiff angled brush with synthetic bristles and it gives such a fine line it makes it so easy to apply hair like strokes through my brows! I love that it has a spoolie on one end too which makes it perfect to travel with!

So that’s my updated favourite brushes! I have to add that all these brushes wash up really well even though they are from different brands and I haven’t noticed any of them shedding which is another bonus!

As you are reading this I’m on holiday for my birthday (which is tomorrow!) but I’ll be doing my best to keep up with comments so do leave me one below and let me know if you have any of these brushes and what do you think of them!

*denotes a PR sample that was sent to me. All opinions are my own.

Danielle xx

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Five Things I’m Loving | November 2016

I can’t believe I haven’t done one of these posts since March! This is the reason I could never commit to a monthly favourites! Anyway, there are a mix of products here, some are new to me within the last month and others are on their last legs and I love them so much I thought they deserved to feature in a post other than an empties!

Revlon Volume + Length Magnified Waterproof Mascara RRP £9.99

I picked this up ages ago (definitely longer than I care to remember!) but it seems the longer its open the more I like it! I know mascara is a very personal choice but I’ve found this does exactly what it says and gives me both length and volume as well as separation and definition! I love that it has bristles instead of a plastic wand and it is impossible to get clumpy lashes with this! I've tried so many time to get close ups of my lashes but its impossible – if you have any tips please leave them in the comments!

Vichy Quenching Mineral Masque* RRP £14

Vichy recently came out with three new face masks and I was sent the Quenching Mineral mask which could not have come at a better time for my skin! Every year I have the same problem where my usually oily skin goes haywire with the change in weather and becomes dehydrated and patchy in places. This mask feels amazingly cooling and refreshing and has been helping to regulate my skin! It contains thermal water from the French volcanoes, vitamin B3 and glycerin which all work to soothe and hydrate my skin leaving it feeling plumper and smoother!

The mask itself has a non-greasy, lightweight gel texture that sinks in quickly. It’s scented of green tea, jasmine water and bamboo and smells amazing! I know some people are sensitive to scented products but I personally don’t mind! The mask is also allergy tested and paraben free. I've been keeping this on my bathroom windowsill to keep it as cool as possible and it is a real treat to apply! I use it over the top of my trusty Vichy Aqualia Thermal serum and the two are a dreamy combination! The Vichy Quenching Mineral Masque is available from Boots, Escentual and Feel Unique!

Smashbox Photo Matte Eyes palette RRP £38.50

Another all matte eyeshadow palette, I know! But it’s another palette I love and after giving all the attention to the Kat Von D Shade + Light and Urban Decay Ultimate Basics I thought it was time to talk about this one! I adore the shade range in this and there isn’t a shade I wouldn’t use – even those couple of pinker shades! It has a great range of cool tones as well as a few warm and the shades can be used wet or dry and as shadows, liners or brow products. The brush that came with it is probably one of the better brushes I've received with a palette!

Clockwise top l-r: Desert, Heirloom, Dune, Vanilla (large pan), Canyon, Suede, Earthy

Clockwise top l-r: Wheat (large pan), Grounded, Rosehip, Haze, Blackout, Ditch, Jolt

I would say that this palette isn’t just as pigmented as the Kat Von D or Makeup Geek shadows I’ve tried but it’s of the highest quality, the shadows don’t fade and they last all day on my oily lids with a primer. Smashbox do mattes really well, they are never patchy and there are no disappointing shades in this palette! I ordered directly from the Smashbox website and they always have discount codes available! I can’t get enough of Smashbox at the minute and have a lipstick set on my Christmas list!

Bed Head Small Talk RRP £9.50

Another oldie but a goody and this has actually featured in a post before! I always come back to this when my hair starts looking a little straggly and I'm trying to hold off going to the hairdressers. It makes the ends of my hair look so much thicker and healthier and helps seal my split ends until I wash my hair again. It also acts as a thermal protectant and just generally makes my hair easier to blow dry and straighten! I’m not normally a fan of fruity scents but I love this and even though it’s a cream it doesn’t add oil or weight to my fine hair!

NARS Audacious Lipstick in Anita RRP £24

This is one of the newest lipsticks in my collection and one I can’t believe took me so long to get! The Audacious line is very hyped within the beauty blogging world and now I can see why! This lipstick is so creamy and opaque with great lasting power! I struggled to pick a shade but eventually went with Anita which is a rosy pink and I definitely don’t think this will be my last! It also has quite possibly the most satisfying magnetic lipstick closure!

*denotes a PR sample that was sent to me. All opinions are my own.

Have you tried any of these products before? Tell me what you’ve been loving recently!

Danielle xx

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