My December Favourites

Hello Everyone! I hope you all had a lovely Christmas and a fab New Year!  I can not believe how fast December actually went, Christmas was all over in a blink of eye!  Yesterday, I just had to run to Costa and grab a Gingerbread latte before they finished selling them, well, until next Christmas.  The Christmas tree is officially down and packed away till next year and all that is left of the Christmas chocolates is the ones that no one likes!!  Okay enough of the Christmas blues Sam, you have lots to look forward too and I can't wait to share it all with you.  Starting off with my favourite products I was loving in December......

La Roche-Posay Effaclar Duo + (plus)  First up is this amazing little moisturiser I have stumbled across.  This product couldn't have been discovered at a better time as my skin has gone to pot.  I have been really poorly recently and my skin just loved to show the world this fact!  Breakouts, dryness, oiliness, dehydration, wow the list is endless.  However since using this, my skin has cleared itself right up.  No more breakouts and it also cleared up post blemish marks within weeks.  It is a gel-cream moisturiser which gives the skin 24hr hydration with a lasting matte effect whilst battling those dreaded acne scarring.  It is oil-free but soaks into the skin leaving it feeling moisturised without that tight, drying feeling some moisturisers for oily skin can do.  Effaclar Duo + is my new best friend and think it might be a holy grail for me.

Rimmel Moisture Renew Lipstick In Diva Red  This colour was just perfect over Christmas and for the winter months.  It is a beautiful blue-toned red lipstick and really does suit the name 'Diva Red".  It glides across the lips leaving them feeling lovely and moisturised and the staying power is great.  It doesn't feel heavy or sticky and gives a sheeny look to the lips.  'Diva Red' now sits perfectly in my ever growing red lipstick collection.

Estee Lauder Double Wear Light Stay-In-Place Makeup SPF10  I am loving this foundation at the moment.  It is a sheer to medium coverage and stays put all day.  It is not like the famous Estee Lauder Double Wear Foundation which is a maximum coverage foundation with amazing staying power, it goes on more sheerer but has the same staying power.  It feels lovely and lightweight and gives a very nice natural finish.  It stays matte for a good 4 hours or so before I need a little powder blot on the nose. I wanted a more natural foundation to wear during the day and this little beauty fits the bill.

Rimmel Stay Matte Pressed Powder  I purchased this because I run out of my favourite powder, the Mac Blot Powder just right before Christmas. What a great little find!  I am sure so many of you have either heard or have used this powder before as it is so raved about.  The product does exactly as it says! It keeps my foundation matte for hours and it doesn't change the colour of my foundation like some cheaper makeup brands do.  Would highly recommend ladies!

Benefit Hoola Bronzing Powder  Oh I do love a good bronzer and thank you to Benefit, I have officially been Hoola-ed!  I always think bronzers are going to make me have that just tangoed look but Benefit Hoola Bronzer manages to gives a subtle warmth to the skin.  This bronzer is completely matte, so no shimmer in sight.  Not only have I been using Hoola to give me a all over glow, I found that it works perfectly for contouring.  I might do a post on how to contour with this bronzer, what do you think?

Have you tried any of the products featured in this month's favourites?

Samantha x

My Favourite Christmas Beauty Gift Sets

As there is only 35 sleeps till Christmas (eekkkk), I thought I would share with you some of  my favorite beauty sets I have found this Christmas. Not only are there some brilliant bargains out there this year, but there is always some kind of deal to tempt you, like triple points, 3 for 2 or money off. Now is the right time to start shopping for beauty sets whether you want to treat yourself or buy one of them as a gift and I think I have found the perfect beauty ideas for you.

Lancome All Eyes On You £30  This set contains four of Lancome's best selling mascaras. A full size Hypnose mascara in black and three handbag-sizes mascaras, which are Hypnose Drama, Hypnose Doll Eyes and Hypnose Star. My all time favourite mascara is Lancome Hypnose, it is a great volumising mascara. I think this is absolute fantastic value for money. Boots have a great deal when you buy two Lancome items at the moment online, you will receive 750 points. That is £7.50 in points! Bargain!!

Benefit Sweet Spot Box O'Blushes £29.50  Five Blushers, one Bronzer and a Highlighter! Amazing! The blushers are "Dandelion", "Sugar Bomb", "CORAlista", "Bella Bamba" and their newest blusher "Rockateur". The bronzer is their all time best seller Hoola and the highlighter is called Watt's up! Don't you just love the names of their products! First time ever Benefit have brought us this gift! It is my favourite Benefit Christmas set this year and it is exceptional value for money. It is beautifully packaged with good sized blushes. A perfect set for the blush lovers out there!

Mac Keepsakes Red Lip bag £32  When I saw this on the Mac website, I'm not going to lie, I squealed a bit! I wrote on my first wish list here on my blog (can read here) I wanted to try the Mac "Ruby Woo" lipstick, so this set is perfect! It comes with the full size lipstick, the full sized lip gloss "Ruby Woo" and the full size lip liner "Ruby Woo". A "Ruby Woo" overload! All nestled in this beautiful limited edition cream glitter makeup bag, with a pearl beaded trim. It is now pretty much sold out everywhere and the only place I can still find it, is on the Selfridges website. Grab it quick!

Boots Mini Fragrance Set £40  I think this set is such a fantastic idea! Boots have picked their favourite fragrances for women in sample sizes.You then pick which one you like the most and you can redeem the voucher given in the set against the full size product. Great idea if you want to buy a perfume for someone or yourself and can't decide which one to choose.

Lush Treat Your Dears £19.50  A red nose reindeer filled with four festive bath and shower goodies. "Yog Nog" soap, "Snowman" shower jelly, a "Dashing Santa" bath bomb and "Golden Wonder" bath bomb. Lush have picked their most popular festive items and I think this set is just too cute!

O.P.I Mini Christmas Holiday Stars £14.50  Each shade in this mini nail varnish set is Christmas inspired. It would make a perfect little stocking filler and O.P.I nail varnishes always deliver in my eyes.This set includes "Red Fingers & Mistletoe", "What's Your Point-Settia?", "I Carol About You" and "Kiss Me Or Elf". I was lucky enough to receive one of their Christmas sets last year and the colours are always fab!

The Body Shop Coconut Festive Picks £17  I have been using the Coconut Body Butter from The Body Shop for a month now and it really is a feast for the skin. The butter just melts into the skin, leaving it feeling so soft and smooth. So I was excited to see they have a Christmas set with the Coconut range. The festive box contains 250ml shower gel, 50ml body scrub, 50ml body butter, coconut soap and a body polisher. This is a must on my Christmas list.

NARS Lip Pencil Set £32  The sought after satin Lip pencils! I have one in the shade Luxembourg and it is a stunning colour (review here). They provide great wear and an intense colour with a satin finish. I would highly recommend them, this set is a little beauty. Comes with five shades and is packaged within a frosted box. The shades are "Yu", "Torres Del Paine", "Descanso", "Iberico" and "Cruella". I love the variety of colours in this set comprising of a vibrant red and a subtle nude.

Real Techniques Brush Set £29.99  In case you are not familiar, these brushes are part of a line created by well known makeup artist and YouTuber Samantha Chapman. I find theses brushes to be of a real high quality but at an affordable price. The brushes are really soft and made of a synthetic taklon bristle. This set is amazing value for money with six full sized brushes in total and are Sam's very own favourite picks. Included are the Multi-Task Brush for powder, blush and bronzer. The Buffing Brush is ideal for full coverage of powder and mineral foundation. The Crease Brush is designed for contouring. The Setting brush to complete any look with a controlled dusting of powder or highlighter. The Foundation Brush to apply a liquid foundation and the Ultimate Fine liner brush to apply precision liquid or cream eyeliner. A great collection of brushes for someone starting out new with brushes or even a full proof makeup buff. 

So here they are.... my favourite Christmas beauty gifts. I hope you love them as much as I do and I hope this may have helped you with your Christmas shopping. 

Will you be putting any of these on your Christmas list?

Samantha x

Rimmel London Wonder'Full Mascara With Argan Oil Review

After having eyelash extensions for the past three months my eyelashes are in need of some TLC. I loved having eyelash extensions, it made life in the morning so much easier and quicker getting ready for work. I have always had thick, long eyelashes and only had the extensions done for my summer holiday, just so I wouldn't need to apply waterproof mascara for laying by the pool (lazy I know!). Now after three months of extensions my eyelashes have lost their length, which I am hoping will come back!

So when I saw this Rimmel Wonder'Full Mascara with Argan Oil, my eyes lit up! I use Argan oil on my hair every day and thought my hair loves it, so hopefully my eyelashes will too. I decided to go with the colour Extreme Black. I posted a picture to instagram and the response was of mixed reviews, but I was still excited to try it.

Rimmel is one of my favourite highstreet brands and this mascara is a fairly new mascara, as it has only been out for a few months. It is a super smooth formula that uses the Argan oil to condition the lashes and it does actually feel very conditioning as it goes on. I have to say I love the texture of this mascara on my lashes, there is a no crunchy feel to you lashes once it has dried. Rimmel claim it is a clump free mascara and I really do think this claim does deliver. This mascara is all about the volume and length. It glides onto the lashes and really does create volume from the roots of the lashes to the tip, however I did find this is after I applied a few coats. It does build beautifully and no matter how many coats you apply, it still feels lovely and light.

The real point of difference, I think, with this mascara compared to others, is the flexiable brush. It kind of bends whilst you're applying, really grabbing at the lashes separating and fanning them out with hardly any effort. I also really like when you open the mascara the rubber brush comes out excess mascara product free, with just a blob on the end of the tip.

  I think this mascara is perfect for a everyday natural look or buildable if you do like a volumised eyelash look. I  probably wouldn't use this mascara for a evening night out look as I like my lashes to look really dramatic of an evening.   Has it helped with the condition of my lashes? I have been using this mascara for over a week now and they haven't grown in length (think it is going to take a few months of TLC) however, I have noticed a difference in the overall condition of my lashes.
Have you tried Rimmel Wonder'Full Mascara? Do you have any tips to help my eyelashes grow?
Samantha x

NARS Satin Lip Pencil

I thought I would share with you my favourite lipstick of the moment. I have to admit I do love a bright lip and this little beauty gives me just that. The NARS Satin Lip Pencil comes in 20 different shades from subtle nudes, soft sparkling pinks or bold vibrant shades. They are packaged in a matte black pencil with a colour swatch on the tail end. Today I am going to show you the shade Luxembourg which is named after Luxembourg Gardens in Paris.

NARS Satin Lip Pencil In Luxembourg is a vivid watermelon colour. This jumbo lip pencil can be used for lining the lip, as well as an all over lip colour and the pencil makes for a super easy application, with a long-lasting satin finish. The pencil glides effortlessly over the lip and you can create the shape of your own lips perfectly with it. I like how the pencil itself remains in shape, so it doesn't go all mushy or squashed when applying to your lips. I love how it feels on my lips, as it is so lightweight, non sticky and creamy.  It is so unbelievably moisturising, as it uses vitamin E to nourish and soothe, helping to create a fuller looking lip, that doesn't give you that dry feeling that you get with some other lipsticks. I am pleasantly surprised with the colour as it gives your lips a great bold look, it complimented a simple face of makeup. However, I am looking forward to wearing it with a smokey smoldering eye on a night out. Once applied, it lasted for a good 5 hours or so and once the shine wears away, my lips remained stained and heavily pigmented. You will need to top up after eating or drinking though.

I've tried to show you the colour as best as I could and as you can see on me, the colour is a lovely, bright fuchsia. I would say it is mixed with a red tone rather than a watermelon red, as the NARS website describes. Just like all lipsticks the pigment changes based on your own lip tone. I am a massive NARS fan and after buying this I can tell you I am a even bigger fan! The price comes in at £18 which is a lot to spend, I think, on a lipstick but after wearing this and falling in love with it's gorgeous satin, long-lasting finish, I am so glad that I bought it. I would highly recommend these stunning lip pencils and I will be definitely adding more colours to my collection. 

Have you tried the NARS Satin Lip Pencil? What do you think of the shade Luxembourg?

Samantha x

My Wish List

I thought my second post should be a wish list of some of the things I would like to try and review on my blog for you all. I have been swooning over these items and I am terrible if I see something online  or in a magazine I write it down. My list is endless so I picked these six to start. Hopefully you will like them and want to try yourself..... 

Anastasia Beverly Hills Brow Powder Duo My brows and I have a love/hate relationship. When you want them to look perfect they never do.  I have heard so many good reviews from other makeup artists on this product. It is specially developed with a smudgeproof formula and is enriched with vitamin C and E which helps to nourish and protect the brow. The claim is its long lasting and provides a natural look  Sounds great don't you think?

Nars Sheer Matte Foundation I have so many items of Nars in my makeup collection but this is one I have never tried. I have a combination to oily skin type so I do struggle with foundations. By lunch time my face can look annoyingly shiny! As I am getting older I really do not like the caked on foundation look and with this foundation it has a sheer, buildable coverage that controls shine throughout the day. Cannot wait to try this!

Lush Big Shampoo Okay confession I have already tried a tiny sample of this. I went into lush to purchase this and they were out of stock, so the lovely lady gave me a sample to try. I will do a full review when I have actually purchased the product and used it a few times. What I can say is that it was amazing! It is a volumising shampoo with seaweed and sea salt. The sea salt lifts the hair and gives it body whilst alongside the seaweed and extra virgin coconut oil soften the hair. Just Amazing!

Ole Henriksen Invigorating Night Treatment This product excites me a lot! I have read and heard many reviews on this product. It is a specially formulated night serum which accelerates cell turnover (speeds your skin up) to smooth out your skin, refine fine lines, clears and minimises your pores, treats blemishes and helps to control oil production on the skin. Sounds great in my book! Your skin needs to look good in order for your foundation to work properly and this sounds like a product I don't want but need in my life!

Zoeva Golen Luxury Brush Set  I only have one of Zoeva's brushes, so this kit would be perfect. The brushes in the kit are made of high quality natural hair and also synthetic taklon bristles, so they can be used with powder or cream makeup products. They are stored within a very sleek classic clutch. I have put this kit on my Christmas list (Santa I have been a very good girl this year!). 

Mac Ruby Woo Lipstick  My love of Mac lipsticks knows no bounds! You can never really fault with Mac lipsticks in my eyes. I would say this colour is also very famous in itself so sorry about that but I have been lusting over for this a while. I am led to believe it is the ultimate matte red lipstick so I really can not wait to try it. I have lots of red lipsticks that I love so I'm looking forward to adding this to my collection.

What is on your wishlist? Have you tried any of the above? I would love to hear your reviews!