Whilst feeling spendy in Boots the other day - and being enticed by all the Christmas Gift Sets. Smashbox caught my eye with a £25 gift - which included 6 lipsticks and a small tube of Mattifying gloss.

I've always wanted to try Smashbox lipsticks, and this seemed like such a good offer.
The lipsticks are 2.4g in this set, when a full size is normally 3g - so actually it's really good value for money. It also gives you a taste for the brand, and includes a great selection of colours.

Inside it includes:
Legendary - A gorgeous postbox red.
Famous - A hot pink.
Primrose - An everyday pink nude.
Fig - A gorgeous deep berry toned pink.
Tabloid - Surprisingly wearable light purple.
Inspiration - A true nude shade.
Insta-matte - A mattyfying gloss

All the lipsticks are a cream formula, and super comfortable on the lips. They're also richly pigmented.
Tabloid (the purple) is a colour I would never spend money on, however it's actually really wearable and I would wear this out of the house! It's nice to try some colours out of my comfort zone. I also feel like all colours are covered here - nudes, reds, pinks and purples. There's something for everyone, and an excellent gift to lipstick lovers.

The Insta-Matte Lipstick Transformer is a clear gloss that quickly turns any creamy lipstick a comfortable matte - meaning you can create 12 looks out of these 6 lipsticks.

This is such a good treat to yourself, a friend, or simply split the lipsticks up for stocking fillers amongst friends - keep one for yourself though!

Expect more Christmas posts soon!

Over the past few months I've brought a few items to pamper myself during our hectic house situation - I'm sorry thats all I'm ever going to talk about now!
It's nice to have a little treat every now and then; and the only place to do that is in Boots. Most of the items I picked up have either been on my lust list for a little while now, or I've seen them spoken about in videos so I had to try it out for myself! - Watching Youtube videos is so enabling!

Make up:
I found the cutest, tiniest eyeshadow palette from Smashbox that I couldn't refuse - the Smashbox Full Exposure palette has the perfect shades in it to be the only palette you ever need - Full review to come!
Benefit Gimmie brow has been on my list for a long time - and today I finally bit the £18 bullet and brought it. I haven't had much time (or a good enough mirror) to see to my brows recently and thought this would be great to tame things till I can get them professionally done. I havn't tried this yet so await a full review!
Whilst I was gorming at the Benefit counter I also picked up a Posiebalm - just cause it looked cute and I wanted a little treat for myself...I have no excuse, have you seen the packaging?

Skincare:
I had a sample of the Lush moisturiser in Skins Shangri La and remember it being like a drink for your skin. With all the stress from moving and months of decorating, this was very much needed! It's quite a thick creamy consistensy, and almost oily? If you suffer from oily skin this won't be for you; but for those who lack moisture this would be perfect. I use this as the last step in my routine to add a good dose of moisture before starting my day.
Hylamide Booster Glow Serum - I saw this brand on a few skincare blogs and was intrigued so I picked one up. It's from the same brains as Indeed labs, so I thought it would be worth a shot! I picked up the glow booster serum as my skin has always been a bit lacklustre...If I like this one I may have to stock up on more from the brand!

Tools:
On my sprees I also picked up two new brushes from varying spectrums of price. First is the tapered blush brush from the Real Techniques Bold Metals Collection - which I had been eyeing up for a while, and soon as I saw they were on offer I ran to the check out. Its a gorgeous colour, supersoft and applied blush like a dream - no regrets!
On the other side is a £3 blush brush from Wilkos. The softest brush, not too dense and visualy not at all bad...for anyone whose on a budget I highly reccomend taking a look!

Shower Products:
First I brought the St Tropez in shower gardual tan lotion; this was on every blog and every youtube channel and had some real mixed reviews. I've never been one for self tanning as I always end up turning orange or have a horrid streak down my arm. This is the perfect self tanning lotion for people who don't want to look orange and want a streak free application.
Next on my jollies I came across some Ritauls products in Marks Spencers. I chose the Indian rose scent in the foaming shower gel formula. This is similar to the Imperial Leather Foamburst, but a bit more luxurious and creamy.

Well there you have it! 2 months of purchases wrapped up! Expect full reviews very soon as I use the products and get to know them, and expect to see others in Most Used Monday posts - which will be back soon too!

I've really missed blogging and having my little space on the internet...it feels good to be back!

This Monday proved that Spring has sprung - light bases, poppy pink hues and fresh feelings.

In the shower I've loved using the L'occitane Almond Oil. This smells delicious and leaves my skin feeling nourished and soft. You only need the tiniest amount to get a good lather going with this. I only have a travel sized version, but as soon as I run out of this I'll be purchasing a full size!

As a base I've been using Benefit's 'That Gal' primer to add a bit of a glow to my skin, followed by my new favourite BB cream my L'oreal from their Nude Magique' range.

I've been leaving my eyes quite nude and using a bit of L'oreal Colour Riche Eyeshadow in the colours 'Quartz Fume' and 'Cafe Saint Germain'  to add a bit of depth to the eyes followed by a good few coatings of 'The Falsies' by Maybelline. on my lashes. I find this mascara really adds some volume and holds a curl really well.
If I'm feeling brave and steady handed I'll add a little flick with my Soap and Glory 'Supercat.' This is only on days I have time to precise my flick.

I've enjoyed wearing pretty pinks on my cheeks since the sun has decided to grace us with it's presence this week! To add that pop of pink I've been using cream based products to get a nice dewy natural glow. I've really enjoyed using my Benefit's 'Fine One One' cream blush and highlight stick.
This is so easy to apply, just one swipe onto the cheeks and a quick blend of the fingers and you have a gorgeous, natural blush effect, with some added highlight to the cheek bones.
I've also been enjoying the BB Blush from the L'oreal Nude Magique collection too. This is more of a baby pink colour than a coral colour,

And lastly on my lips I've discovered an old favourite in the form of Revlon's 'Lip Butter' in the shade 'Sweet Tart.' This is a proper poppy pink with a glossy buttery texture and gives the look a glossy polished feel.
I can't wait till Revlon bring out their new HD Gel formula lipsticks.

Then in the evenings I've seriously been loving the Montagne Jeunesse 'Black Seaweed' peel off fask mask. This gets rid of any blackheads and dry skin I might have and leaves my skin all smooth and prepped for the next day!



What have you been enjoying this week?

When I moved out last year with my boyfriend; the one thing I knew I wanted was a dressing table. Somewhere to do my hair and makeup in the morning, and somewhere bright and light.

When we went for our big Ikea shop; I spotted the 'Malm' Dresser in one of the displays and instantly fell in love with it. It was crisp and clean, and thankfully matched the bedroom furniture we'd picked out!

One the top is a glass top. This makes the dresser easy to clean, and also adds a nice element to the room. Then it has one large drawer the whole width of the dressing table. Inside I've seperated my makeup and haircare using drawer separators from Muji. I used to own the acrylic Muji drawers and use those as storage for my makeup, however the draw is to shallow to accommodate them, so I've had to find other uses for them for now!

On top of my dresser is a mirror from The Range which fits nicely with the room as all our furniture is white. I also have a mirrored plate with some pretty jars and my perfumes on. On the other side are all my hair appliances

Inside I have a box for:

• Base products - primers, BB creams and foundations.
• Lip products - lipsticks, lipbalms, tinted products and a lipscrub.
• Cheek products - Blushers, Highlights and Bronzers (My favourite drawer)
• Eye products - Eyeliners, eyeshadows and Masacras ( I need another thinner box to separate these more)
• Brushes - Makeup brushes and eyelash curlers.

Then there's all my hair products and brushes and another little organiser for my hair grips and bobbles.

I also slot in some skincare and makeup pallets and face masks in the front where there is space.

This is my favourite corner of our flat. What's your favourite corner of your home?

I recently did a post all about Soap and Glory's make up range. But I thought these mascaras needed their own review as they're all so different. They're all priced between £9 and £10.50. So slightly pricier than your average drug store mascara which are usually priced around the £7 mark. 

Thick and Fast 'Super Volume' Mascara

First up is the original Thick and Fast mascara in black packaging. It states that its a 'Super volume mascara.' This mascara has the largest brush of the three and a slightly dryer formula than the others.

My lashes are naturally very straight and not the longest in the world! (My boyfriend has longer eyelashes than me!) So I have to curl my lashes with an eyelash curler before applying mascara anyway or else I end up with thicker straight lashes! 

This formula holds a curl well and is the most volume enhancing of the three.

Thick and Fast 'High Definition Collagen
Coat Mascara

 Next is the Thick and Fast 'High definition collagen-coat' mascara i nthe gold packaging (which feels heavy and luxurious!)

This one has an odd paint smell to it...but it doesn't linger...I'm guessing its the collagen maybe?

This ones want has two sides. One side is really small and fine, whilst the other side has two longer edges to almost grip the lashes? I can't explain it, But this formula is quite messy and wet to apply, but is super lengthening! The formula is quite clumpy if you use too much, but one light coat is more than enough! This holds a curl even better than the last one, it's just slightly harder to apply.

Thick and Fast 'Flash Extensions
Effect Mascara'

Lastly in the silver packaging is Thick and Fast 'Flash Extensions Effect' Mascara. This wand is super thin and precise and is the easiest to apply. As you can see from the photo it's very separating and quite lengthening and almost gives a fluttery look to the lashes which I prefer and generally holds a curl really well.

My personal favourite is the 'Flash Extensions Effect' Mascara as it looks naturally enhances my lashes and makes them look 100x better than normal! For a night out when I want a little more volume I normally opt for the 'High Definition Collagen-Coat' Mascara. As it shows up great on photos and really adds some depth to the eyes.

So there you have it! I hope you've found this helpful if you were in the market for a new mascara. Have you tried any of these mascaras? Or do you prefer another brands mascara range?

This weeks most used products are much more make up based!

Lets start with the base I've been using. This is Soap and Glory's 'Hocus Focus.' This is a highlight/primer product that gives a beautiful luminosity to the skin. 

It also perfects the skin by blurring out any imperfections and evens out my skin tone.

I'd say this is comparative to Benefits Girl meets Pearl, and Nars Copacabana Illuminator.

Sometimes I use this on it's own, or with my foundation to add a little light to the skin.

Next up is a new purchase. Its the Maybelline Color Tattoo in 'on and on bronze.' I've seen this mentioned on the internet countless times in favourite videos and make up tutorials and never bit the bullet to get it (even though its less that a fiver.)

I've been using this as a base before I apply any other eye-shadow, or wear it on its own all over the lid to add a bit a colour.

I either apply with my finger or with a brush depending on my mood. I'm in LOVE with this product and can't believe I didn't pick it up sooner.

Next up is my Urban Decay Naked 1 Palette. I've been loving the colours 'Buck' which is a gorgeous natural matte brown; perfect for the defining the crease. Then I either like to add 'Smog' or 'Darkhorse' for a little added colour and shimmer.

Another recent purchase is the Maybelline 'The Falsies' Mascara. This is such a good drug store mascara with a good wand and a really good formula. It makes my lashes look fuller and longer and holds a decent curl!

The only problem with this mascara is how wet the formula is. I always find that its transferred onto my eyelid somehow...no matter how careful I am.

And Last but not Least is the Benefit 'Coralista' Blush which is a beautiful coral blush with a gorgeous sheen to add a slight highlight to the cheeks.

I really want to experiment more with my Naked Palette, do you have any favourite colours or would you like to see a blog post on different looks?

Here's a little wish list I made as I'm trying to save right now, but this kinda curbs the need to spend money for the moment.

I have two perfume wants on here. First is Yves Saint Laurent in Black Opium, I smelt this in duty free on holiday and became addicted...but not to the price tag! I have plenty of perfumes to use before I splurge on a new one. It smells deep and sexy and slightly sweet? I love it.
Next is Molecule 101 which I've heard so much about on the internet! From what I understand it only has one ingredient which smells different on everyone else and smells differently too other people as well. They only sell this in Liberty London so I'd have to try it before I bought it.

Next up is a cleansing balm from Emma Hardie. As soon as my Eve Lom one has run out this is going straight into my basket!

Next a clothing item. I'm all about pastel colours and cute collars right now. But they are no where to be seen! I'm not even sure we have a Jane Norman anymore? But this little number is cute.

From The Balm is this 'Nute Tude' Palette. Every colour looks wear-able and  it has a reasonable price tag. The only reason I haven't already purchased this is because I cannot find one to sample/swatch to see what the quality is like! Superdrug are supposedly meant to stock The Balm...however I am yet to find one that does!

Also from The Balm cosmetics range is their 'Mary-Lou Manizer' highlighter, This is meant to be the best of the best for high street highlighters. Again same problem as above...I'm not able to swatch it to find out if it's worth the money! Maybe I'll bite the bullet on these two items if there is ever a deal on Feelunique.com.

Benefit Dallas looks quite dull in the box, but I've seen swatches of this and it looks gorgeous. I'm just unsure if this would suit my skin tone as its kind of a dirty looking pink? Maybe when I save my boots points up I can give this a little try.

Last but not least is the new YSL Lip Oil. These sound gorgeous...but a total luxury purchase. I'm in love with the packaging and I'd also love the YSL Lipstick...
This is a case of seriously wanting one. But not needing one.
Would certainly look very nice on my dressing table!

Yves Saint Laurent fragrance
selfridges.com

Escentric Molecules fragrance
£54 - net-a-porter.com

Emma Hardie botanics skin care
uk.spacenk.com

Jane Norman green top
houseoffraser.co.uk

TheBalm eyeshadow
nelly.com

TheBalm face powder
£22 - asos.com

Benefit blush
£19 - bloomingdales.com

Yves Saint Laurent lip makeup
johnlewis.com