Tuesday 25 November 2014

Major Excitement! Anastasia Beverly Hills Contour Kit has arrived!




Hi Everyone,

This week I finally got my hands on a product that has been on the top of my lust list for a looong time: the Anastasia Beverly Hills Contour Kit. This nifty little kit from the Queen of Brows Anastasia Soare has been out of stock and virtually impossible to get hold of for months, so I was absolutely delighted when I got an email from Cult Beauty (http://www.cultbeauty.co.uk) to say that it was back in stock. Needless to say I didn't hesitate to grab one for myself!

The kit arrived yesterday and my first impressions of it was that the packaging was sturdier than I was expecting, with a cardboard case that would be perfect for travelling. Inside the kit there are three highlighter shades (from left to right Vanilla, Banana, Sand) and three contour shades (Java, Fawn and Havana). All the shades are matte with the exception of the Sand highlighter, which has a slight shimmer without being glittery. 

I could hardly wait to experiment with this kit when I got home and I instantly fell in love with the Fawn contour shade, perfect for my skintone, and the Banana yellow-tone highlighter for the under-eye area. The surprise hit for me though with this kit was the Sand highlighter! I have an abundance of highlighters and wasn't all that excited about the Sand shade at first, but on application I really loved the way it looks. Unlike my usual go-to highlighter (Soft and Gentle by MAC) Sand is not glittery and gives a very subtle, dewy look without you looking like you're wearing anything at all. It genuinely looks so natural, as though your face is bathed in natural light, and I am sure this will become a firm favourite of mine the more I use it,

I can't wait to try this kit before a night out for a more dramatic contouring look. At £39.00 I think the price is pretty reasonable for six shades, although I do feel like Havana may be a little on the orange side for me so may not get that much use.


Have you tried the Anastasia Beverly Hills Contour Kit? Snap one up now at Cult Beauty while stocks last!

Rosie x 

Sunday 16 November 2014

Skincare Regime: Pepta-Bright


Hi Everyone,

I wanted to share one of my recent skincare discoveries with you all: Indeed Labs' Pepta-Bright Even Skintone Enhancer. I have been using this 'moisturing cream-serum' for a few weeks now and I have to say that I've been delighted with the results!

Pepta-Bright aims to improve skin clarity and tone, as well as diminishing dark spots and redness. I have never had particularly bad skin but I do suffer with some redness and dark circles, particularly in Winter. Pepta-bright is a lightweight cream that should be applied after cleansing and underneath your regular moisturiser. In my case I also apply Indeed Labs' Hydraluron beforehand which helps skin to retain moisture and makes it plumper and more healthy-looking.

Since using Pepta-Bright I have really seen a difference in my skin. I feel so much more confident both with and without make-up, and my skin looks really clear, bright and healthy. The Pepta-Bright also leaves my skin feeling really soft and well-moisturised with barely a spot or blemish in sight.

Pepta-Bright is free of certain 'nasties' such as kojic acid, mercury, hydroquinone and parabens, and I think it would be especially good for slightly more mature skin (a hunch that was confirmed in Caroline Hirons' review).

If you invest in this product (at £29.99 from Boots it is certainly what I would classify as an 'investment'!) then don't expect instant results. However, if you persist with it twice a day for a few weeks then I'm sure you will witness the results and will love it as much as I did!

Have you tried Pepta-Bright? I'd love to hear your thoughts!

Rosie x

Wednesday 12 November 2014

Product Review: Bouffe Dry Spray


Hi Everyone,

On a recent peruse around my local Boots I was drawn in to their 'new product' section and was interested to spot this: the Bouffe Dry Spray for Dark Brown Hair. The product promised to deliver a revolutionary formula for 'bigger, thicker looking hair' (the quickest way to my heart other than chocolate!) and so I was immediately sold. Not to be confused with a dry shampoo, this product won't work on a grease-day but instead promises instant oomph-in-a-can.

Having tried the Bouffe Dry Spray however, I must admit that I'm disappointed, Did it make my hair look thicker? Yes, but in doing so it coated my roots in a sticky, dark brown powder which got all over my fingers (and forehead!) when I rubbed it in and left me touching my hairline self-consciously approximately every 5 seconds.The only way I can really think to describe it is 'rubbery'- my hair felt stiff and, although the volume held well, it was almost too long-lasting to the point that I struggled to wash it out.

Having subsequently read some reviews of this product it seems other bloggers had similar feelings about it, but have suggested that it might be good for voluminous up-dos. I agree that perhaps that might be better suited to this product's purpose, but unfortunately I just don't think this product will work for me at all as I can't stand the texture of it and it just made my hair feel horribly dirty.

This spray is available at Boots for £5.99 and comes in a range of colours from Black, to Grey, to Transparent.


Have you tried the Bouffe Dry Spray? Let me know what you thought!

Rosie x




Tuesday 4 November 2014

Product Review: Soap & Glory Archery Brow Pencil

Hi Everyone,

The Soap & Glory 'Archery' brow pencil came on to my radar a few weeks ago but I struggled to track it down in any of my local Boots stores. Eventually I had some luck and found my shade 'Hot Chocolate' in a large central London branch, but even then it was tucked away under a heap of other products, as though someone had expertly hidden it for safekeeping!

This brow pencil is slim and delicate, with a precise pencil at one end and a small brow brush on the other. I personally really like the slim pencil as it produces small, hair-like strokes and looks natural even on sparse brows like mine. The brush end does what it says on the tin and is precise enough to blur any obvious pencil strokes whilst still keeping the brow shape that you create.

I am usually a slave to my Anastasia Beverly Hills Dipbrow pomade, but since buying this pencil I have found that this is the one that I reach for instead. It is remarkably easy to use and I do think the overall effect is natural and long lasting. My only real criticism of this pencil would be its limited colour range; available in only blonde or brunette shades. Fortunately I find the brunette is a fairly good match for me without being orange-toned, although maybe not ideal for those with darker colouring,

Overall I'm happy with this purchase. At £8 it hardly breaks the bank, although I would love this product even more if there was a brow gel thrown in there as well.

Have you tried the Archery brow pencil? Let me know your thoughts!

Rosie x

Monday 27 October 2014

Lifestyle Post: Richmond Park






Hi Everyone,

I had a rare treat this weekend as my boyfriend had his first Saturday off work in months, and so after the compulsory Friday night out, what better way to spend the weekend than in the beautifully Autumnal Richmond Park?!

For anyone that hasn't been to Richmond Park- it is ginormous. We walked for what felt like miles but barely made our way across even the tiniest section of the park. It is also absolutely beautiful, and full of wildlife (most notably deer, as you can see from my photos!). They are beautiful animals but not as placid as they seem, and we saw quite a few of the young males scuffling and clashing antlers.

Autumn seemed to be in full swing in Richmond Park and we crunched our way through the park admiring the lovely colours. I wore my favourite new coat from Next and my Topshop boots, teamed with jeans and a cosy knit, perfect to protect against the Autumn chill.


After the park we traipsed back to our car and heading into Ealing for dinner. It was a lovely end to a great day, and it really made me appreciate this wonderful Autumn sun we've been having!

What did you all get up to this weekend?

Rosie x



Sunday 26 October 2014

First Impressions: Fairydrops Mascara


Hi Everyone,

I recently invested in the Fairdrops Mascara having heard about it first on Vivianna's blog. I am fortunate enough to have quite long eyelashes, but the problem I have is that they are dead straight, and so this mascara really appealed to me as it promises to lift and separate lashes (like a bra for your eyes!).

This is a Japanese mascara originally designed by Japanese celeb Aya Yasuda, and as such it is not the easiest to track down in the UK. I managed to find it in stock in the Topshop flagship store in Oxford Street in their new Beautymart section which is filled with lots of exciting makeup products from overseas!

First impressions of this mascara is that the packaging is really cute, yet feels quite luxurious. The gold mascara tube reminds me of high end mascaras like YSL Babydoll, but at £18.50 the Fairydrops mascara is a little easier on the pocket. The wand itself is separated into three thick 'bulbs' and is slightly bent which makes application nice and smooth. The above photo is taken without using eyelash curlers and I was quite impressed with the level of curl I achieved- I have since used the mascara with eyelash curlers and was even happier with the results.

The problems I've encountered with this mascara so far is that it is not 100% waterproof and does have a tendency to run slightly, although it is stubborn and is not the easiest to remove at the end of the day. I also find that the solution is quite thick and makes my lashes a bit gloopy looking, although I have managed to reduce this by using less product.

I feel the price is a little steep for what it is (the tube was a bit smaller than I expected) but then I am not a fan of spending a lot of money on mascara generally as I find it quite an unexciting product to splash out on!

Overall I like this mascara for the much needed curl that it gives my poker straight lashes and for its staying power. It will probably become my go-to daily mascara, although for nights out I'm not sure it will give me the volume and waterproofness (if that's a word!?) that I'm looking for.

Have you tried Fairydrops? Let me know what you thought of it!

Rosie x

Wednesday 10 September 2014

First Impressions: bareMinerals bareSkin Pure Brightening Serum Foundation



Hi Everyone,

Today I wanted to do a quick 'first impressions' post for the new (and first!) liquid foundation from bareMinerals. They say that it helps you to achieve 'full coverage with a natural finish', and of course being bareMinerals its full of lovely natural ingredients.

My first thought was that I was impressed with how full the coverage was with this foundation- with a name like 'bareSkin' I was expecting little more than a tinted moisturiser. However, the bareSkin Pure Brightening Serum Foundation (try saying THAT three times fast!) is actually a nice, medium-to-full coverage foundation.

I did find the formula to be quite oily which is probably down to the serum element and I also found it really tough to blend. I was using my Real Techniques Expert Face Brush but found that it left visible brush strokes even after quite a lot of blending. bareMinerals have released a new brush to go with this foundation which maybe does the job better, but as I only have a sample I haven't tried it. 

Overall I have my doubts about how this foundation would fare over several hours due to the oily feel, but I really liked the fresh, almost-dewy finish and I will definitely be trialing it in more detail over the next few days!

Pros:
- Good Coverage
- Natural Ingredients
- Feels Light on the Skin
- Nice Finish

Cons:
- Not Very Blendable
- Oily Consistency
- May Not Be Very Long-Lasting

I hope you found my first impressions helpful! Have you tried this foundation yet?

Rosie x


Monday 8 September 2014

Revlon Nearly Naked Foundation... First Impressions



Hi Everyone,

I know I'm a bit late to the party with this one but today I purchased Revlon's Nearly Naked Foundation for the first time after reading about it on Lily Pebbles' blog. Normally I am a Medium-to-Full coverage kind of girl, but recently I've found myself favouring a lighter coverage more and more. Honestly, I've never had particularly bad skin but I do worry about redness, and I am a bit of a concealer obsessive.

I bought Revlon's Nearly Naked foundation in the shade 'Shell' which I think should be a good colour for me as we head into Autumn/Winter. It is quite yellowy at first swatch but does have pinker tones in natural sunlight. Personally I prefer a yellow-tone foundation to counteract the redness I mentioned earlier so this shade suits me fine.

The bottle, as many before me have already noted, is a bit annoying. There is no pump which I don't normally mind or expect from a drugstore brand, but with the Nearly Naked foundation it is particularly annoying as the foundation itself is very liquidy and the mouth of the bottle is quite wide, basically making it impossible to pour out a sensible amount!

Once applied though, this foundation seems to come into its own. I like the coverage and the way that it feels on my skin, and think this could be a great everyday foundation for me. As this is a First Impressions post and I only bought this today it's a bit early for me to make a firm decision on it just yet, but I'm looking forward to putting it to the test and seeing how it looks after an 8-hour day at the office!

Have you tried Nearly Naked? I'd love to hear your thoughts!

Rosie x


Sunday 27 April 2014

Easter Weekend

Hi Everyone,

I'm lucky enough to have had a fabulous Easter weekend at the seaside in Dorset and thought I would share a little bit of it with you all! It was a wonderful weekend of eating, drinking and hanging out with friends and it was just what I needed after a hectic few weeks.

We drove down on Friday afternoon as a merry group of four, to stay at the home of one of our friend's parents. We managed to avoid the majority of the famous Bank-Holiday traffic apart from around Stonehenge- although at least I managed to catch a glimpse of it for the first time! The house was a beautiful countryside cottage with a wonderful cosy feel to it and we spent many a happy night in with a glass of wine (or two...).

The highlight of the trip was definitely our day at Hive beach, where we visited the amazing Hive Beach Cafe and tucked into delicious fresh lobster and chips! This was followed by a HUGE ice cream sundae and a stroll along the beach... Bliss. We also had some incredible meals out where we were staying in Sherborne, and on Friday went to the lovely restaurant The Green where we sampled such delights as their crab creme brulee (actually delicious) and scallops with black pudding crisps.. yum!

The weather was not great on our last day but we still found time for a cream tea at a local cafe before hitting the road back to London in the pouring rain... A fitting end to the Bank Holiday weekend. 

I hope you all had a wonderful Bank Holiday weekend- was your as food orientated as mine?!

Rosie x




A snap of Stonehenge taken from the car!


Sunday 16 March 2014

March Favourites

Hi Everyone,

I hope you’re all enjoying the weekend and the warmer weather! All this sunshine has put me in a really summery mood and I’ve become one of those Brits that throws on a pair of shorts and flip flops at the first sign of a bit of sun!

Today’s post is about a few new products that I have been enjoying using recently. As you can see from the pic I have a bit of a thing for MAC Mineralize Skinfinishes at the moment and I’ve pretty much tripled the size of my collection in a month! The next one I have my eye on is Lightscapade and I’d be really interested to hear your thoughts if you’ve tried it.

Debenhams have been doing a 10% discount offer lately on their website so I used the opportunity to buy a few bits (as you do!) and picked up the MAC Mineralize Skinfinish in Soft and Gentle, which I’ve had my eye on for a while. This is a beautiful ‘gilded peach bronze’ colour according to MAC and has a good amount of shimmer to it without being overpowering. I have been using this product more sparingly during the day to avoid looking too ‘sparkly’ at work, but can’t wait to try it for a night out!

I also managed to pick up Mineralize Skinfinish in the shade ‘Stereo Rose’ from the MAC website as part of their limited edition Fantasy of Flowers collection. I had read about this first on Lily Pebbles’ blog and having seen a few photos I knew that I had to try it for myself. This has become my go-to blusher of late as it is a perfect rosy-pink colour with just a hint of shimmer. It is buildable and just generally very pretty!

I also bought the Extra Dimension Skinfinish in ‘Fairly Precious’ which is more sparkly than the other two I would say and perfect for creating a fresh, dewy look. I love the light pink colour of this and would also wear it as an eyeshadow, although I would say that it is slightly less versatile than Soft and Gentle as the pink tone can’t be used all over.

Also on my favourites list is a MAC lipstick in the shade Hue. I picked this up in a blog sale a few weeks ago (I think I mentioned this on my blog already) and I’ve basically worn it nearly every day since. It is the easiest colour to wear- a lovely pinky nude that is not too pink nor too brown for my skin tone, and the formula is lovely and creamy and seems to last quite well despite being a ‘glaze’ rather than my usual favourite ‘cremesheen’.

A friend of mine at Revlon recently gave me a little goody bag and in it was this fab brow pencil and gel called ‘brow fantasy’. Unfortunately it is a little light for my natural colouring (I was given the shade Dark Blonde) so I have to use a touch of powder as well to darken my brows up, but I love the idea of this product and the gel works really well to tame any unruly hairs!

For contouring I really love this bronzer by theBalm in Bahama Mama. I read sooo many good reviews of this before purchasing and I can’t disagree with any of them- the colour looks scary in the pan but is more grey-toned than a lot of bronzers so leaves a natural shadow appearance when contouring rather than an orange stripe down your face! A light hand is all that’s needed with this but I really like it and the packing is really cute too.

Finally I picked up this bargain highlighter by Along Came Betty in Tesco for £2 and I really like it! I apply it under or over foundation depending on how strong I want the highlight to be, and it works really well. The colour is a subtle champagne gold (not dissimilar to Benefit’s Watts Up!) and if you wanted to give a stick highlighter a try without spending a fortune then I would definitely recommend it.

That’s it for my favourites this month- as you can see it has been quite highlight-heavy! I’d love to hear what you’ve been loving recently so feel free to leave me a comment below.


Rosie x

Friday 28 February 2014

Product Review: NARS Travel Set





Hi Everyone,
First of all, I'm sorry for my irregular posting over the past few days! I have been really busy moving house and we are still internet-less at our new place so I am a bit limited in when I can blog... Sooo annoying as I have picked up loads of products recently that I'm dying to review!
Today I thought I would show you one of my favourite newbies to my make-up collection: this gorgeous NARS travel set featuring the famous Laguna bronzer, Orgasm Blush and Albatross Highlighter trio. I was so excited to try all three of these products and can't believe that I managed to snap them all up in one bundle!
This set I don't think is available anymore as I have been scouring the NARS website for it with no joy. I picked it up in a blog sale for just £16 over at the lovely Lipstick Fridays (she still has loads of amazing stuff for sale if you fancy a look!) and I couldn't be happier. The bronzer looks to me to be pretty much full sized and the products had only been lightly swatched so I definitely feel like I got good value for money there.
So what's the product like? Well, one of the major plus points for me HAS to be the packaging. I mentioned that it's a travel set and it is genuinely one of the most travel-friendly products that I own- perfect for throwing in your handbag for an afternoon touch up. Yes, the Albatross pan is a little on the skinny side (which is a shame as I think it may be my favourite of the 3!) but all in all it is a really handy set to have around.
All three of these products have something of a cult following so I won't bang on for hours, but they are all beautiful shades that I'd imagine would compliment many skin tones. The Laguna bronzer I had heard was great for contouring and so far it hasn't disappointed- although I did notice that it is not quite as matte as some of my other contouring products. It is less orangey than some other bronzer shades though and really pigmented so very easy to contour with.
The Orgasm blush I was really keen to try having been given the shade Super Orgasm (oo er!) by my boyfriend a while ago. Orgasm is less sparkly than Super Orgasm and slightly more red-dy and gold-toned which I really like as it gives the cheeks a really healthy, natural flush.
Finally the beautiful highlighter Albatross, which looks so scarily white in the pan but on the skin transforms into a beautiful yellow-tone highlight! I LOVE this product and have been using it every day on my cheekbones and brow arch to provide a subtle highlight. Fortunately a little goes a long way with this product and I have barely scratched the surface.
Overall I'm delighted with this purchase (as you can probably tell from my lengthy review!). I should also mention that the case is really sturdy and has a huge mirror which makes touching-up on the go an absolute breeze.
Have you tried any of these products? I'd love to hear your thoughts!
Rosie x

PS. there is still time to enter my MAC Giveaway! Just click here

Monday 24 February 2014

500 Follower Giveaway!!

Hi Everyone,
Today I'm delighted to announce that I am doing another giveaway! This one is to celebrate reaching 500 followers, which is truly an amazing milestone in my eyes. I am so grateful for every reader and every comment on my blog and so this is just my little way of saying 'thank you'!




The prize is a MAC lipstick of your choice, so long as it is from the permanent collection. I know that this is not the most imaginative prize going but I have seen it on other blogs in the past and I just think you can't go wrong with a good lippy! All I ask is that you make sure that you are following my blog on Bloglovin and that you leave me a comment below to let me know what shade of lipstick you would like. Good luck everyone! Now onto the boring stuff...
Rules:
  • This is a UK only giveaway I'm afraid. I apologise to any international readers that may be disappointed, I would love to do an international giveaway soon.
  • I will check all entries so please make sure that you follow my blog and leave me a comment!
  • I will post the winner on my blog and on Twitter, and will basically try my best to contact you in any way I can! If I don't hear anything back within 3 days then I will select an alternative winner.
  • The giveaway is via Rafflecopter and winners are chosen entirely at random.
  • The prize is bought with my own money and I will post it to you via First Class. I will get proof of postage but cannot be held responsible for items getting lost.
  • The giveaway will close on 7th March 2014.

Thank you to everyone who enters, you have all been so encouraging since I started blogging and I hope you enjoy reading my posts as much as I enjoy writing them!
a Rafflecopter giveaway

Please note the image used is not my own.

Rosie x

Wednesday 19 February 2014

FOTD - Bronze Smokey Eye



Hi Everyone,

Today's FOTD post features one of my favourite looks- the bronze smokey eye. I must admit that I am not the most adventurous with my eye make-up on a day to day basis but I am getting better after following some absolutely amazing MUAs on Instagram. This one is pretty quick and easy and is just about subtle enough for everyday wear, although I did use false eyelashes today which definitely is not something I have time for every day!

Prep:
Ultima II Procollagen Extrema Day Lotion (I love this moisturiser and it is sparkly too!)
Revlon Photoready Perfecting Primer

Face:
MAC Studio Fix Fluid in NW20
Benefit Erase Paste in Medium
Clinique Even Better Concealer in Chamois

Brows:
GOSH Eye Brow Kit (colours light and medium)

Cheeks:
Too Faced Chocolate Soleil Bronzer (to contour)
Estee Lauder Ideal Light Brush-On Illuminator in Light (to highlight)

Eyes:
Estee Lauder Doublewear Stay-in-Place Gel Eyeliner in Stay Onyx
From the Urban Decay NAKED palette
-Shade 'Naked' on lid
-Shade 'Virgin' on browbone
-Shade 'Creep' along lower lash line
-Shades 'Darkhorse' and 'Smog' along upper lash line
-Shade 'Half Baked' on lid
Estee Lauder Doublewear Zero Smudge Lengthening Mascara in Black

Lips:

Phew, that was a lot of products! I hope you enjoyed my face of the day and I'd love to know what your favourite make-up looks are.. Maybe I'll try them next time!

Rosie x



Saturday 15 February 2014

Valentine's Look!


Hi Everyone,

Sorry for the lack of posts this week, we have been right in the midst of all the recent flooding and spent most of the week staying in a hotel!

Today I thought I'd share my (slightly belated) Valentine's look. I really wanted to stick to natural-looking, glowy make-up this Valentine's Day as we spent it at home enjoying a home cooked meal (yum!). For the base I used MAC Studio Fix Fluid in NW20 which I mixed with a little MAC Strobe Cream to give a slight glow. I used my normal concealers (Benefit Erase Paste in Medium and Clinique Even Better Concealer in Chamois) and dabbed a bit of Estee Lauder Ideal Light Brush-on Illuminator across my under-eye area and down my nose.

For my brows I used a MAC eyeshadow in Brun. I set the look using MAC Skinfinish Natural powder in Medium, before doing a slight contour using my Chocolate Soleil bronzer by Too Faced. I added some subtle sparkle to my cheeks using M&S's Limited Collection Highlighter, and used a small amount of Maybelline Dream Touch Blush in shade 02 on my cheeks to add a light flush.

Now, onto the eyes! The eyeshadows I used were all from the Urban Decay NAKED or NAKED 3 palettes. For the base I used the shade 'Virgin', and then dabbed the shade 'Half Baked' all over my lid (both from the NAKED palette). Under my eyes and in the outer corners I used 'Darkside' from the NAKED 3 palette, and in my crease I blended in 'Smog' from NAKED. I lined my waterline with a white liner from Revlon, and in the outer corners used my No7 Stay Perfect Shade and Define in Gunmetal Grey. Finally, I finished the look with a bit of Benefit They're Real! mascara and a slick of MAC lipstick in Hue (recently purchased in a blog sale for a bargainous £6!).

That's it folks! I hope you like my Valentine's look and please send me your links if you have done your own!

Rosie x


Monday 10 February 2014

Garnier Micellar Cleansing Water


Hi Everyone,

Today I am reviewing the Micellar Cleansing Water by Ganier Skin Naturals. I spotted this on the shelf in my local Boots store and knew straight away that I had to try it. I am a big fan on the Bioderma Micelle Solution (although not such a big fan of the price!) and was really hoping that this would be a more affordable option.

I reviewed the Bioderma Sebium H20 back in September after hearing so many good things about the range in the blogging community (full review here). I loved that it worked really well as a make up remover but without any of the scrubbing or rubbing that I was used to. I hate using makeup wipes and have oily skin so oil or cream based cleansers do not work for me, but the Micellar Solution ticked all the boxes, especially as it is so gentle.

The Garnier offering comes in a much bigger bottle (400ml which claims to be 200 uses!) and feels like great value for money at £4.99. Heck, I paid £4.50 for just 100ml of Bioderma so it's definitely the cheaper option! Like Bioderma, the Garnier Micellar Water is super gentle and effectively removes makeup without any hassle. It doesn't have much of a scent and feels no different to water on the skin. It leaves my skin feeling gloriously clean and fresh and even removes tough eyeliner and mascara which I wasn't sure it would.

So far I would say that the Garnier Micellar Solution is a great substitute for the pricier Bioderma option. It has all the same great benefits without the guilt- what's not to love?! Plus the bottle feels like it will last me a lifetime. If you are looking for a great value, gentle cleanser that leaves your skin hydrated and make-up free then look no further! I am loving this product right now.

Have you tried it? Let me know your thoughts!

Rosie x


Saturday 8 February 2014

How I Contour


Hi Everyone!

Today I wanted to share with you a quick post on my contouring habits. Unless you've been living under a rock somewhere, you'll know that contouring and highlighting is a key part of any makeup lover's regime to slim the face, accentuate the cheekbones and highlight our best features (!) whilst simultaneously trying to hide those that we're perhaps less fond of.

I don't claim to be an expert but I love to have a go at "HAC"ing (Highlighting & Contouring- name borrowed from Maskara's blog!), especially as my face is heart shaped and I have quite a high forehead.

There are loads of products on the market at the moment for HACing, but my personal favourites are:

Contour:

Chanel Tan De Soleil or
Too Faced Chocolate Soleil Bronzer or
Topshop Bronzer in Sandcastle (which I cannot find online)

Highlight:


I also tend to use a powdered or liquid highlighter such as Revlon Photoready Skinlights Illuminator to finish the look and give my skin a real glow.

For the look above I used the Estee Lauder Illuminator and the Chanel Bronzer, which is great for contouring as it is quite creamy and very easy to blend! As you can see I swipe the bronzer across the top of my forehead, under my cheekbones, down the sides of my nose and around my chin/jawline to begin with (over foundation). Some beauty bloggers will tell you not to contour too far down the face and keep it as a clean line to the middle part of your cheek, but if you have a heart-shaped face like mine you may find that this just isn't enough! I like to blend right the way across under my cheekbones to create a more visible 'apple' of the cheek, but that's just personal preference!

I also apply the highlighter down the centre of my nose, under my eyes, on my lower forehead and on my upper lip and eyebrow arch. I tend to blend the bronzer in with my Real Techniques Contour brush but prefer to use my fingers for the highlighter. Just keep blending until you're happy with it! It can be as dramatic or subtle as you like, that's the beauty of it!

To complete my look above I just swiped some Too Faced Powdered Sun onto my cheeks, added a slick of MAC lipstick in Costa Chic and lined my eyes with my Estee Lauder Doublewear Gel Eyeliner and some mascara. Easy peasy!

I'd love to hear about how you contour/highlight and what products you use so please leave me a comment below!

Rosie x


Monday 20 January 2014

Birthday Weekend!!




Hi Everyone,

Today I thought I'd do a little lifestyle post for you as to be honest I haven't had chance to experiment with many new beauty products recently! This is practically unheard of for me, but I have been moving house (again!) and living out of a suitcase, so all of my products are boxed up and hidden in the depths of the garage. Plus last week was my birthday and I have been busy celebrating!

Last weekend my boyfriend and I went to Cheltenham as a birthday treat and stayed in the gorgeous Hotel Du Vin. I chose Cheltenham as I'd been once before when I was at university in Bristol (ahem.. several years ago now) and really enjoyed it. The hotel I was not so familiar with but  Oh-my-Gosh it's gorgeous! We stayed in the Ruinart room which had an amazing his-and-hers bathroom complete with two showers and two baths. Yes, possibly a little bit gimmicky.. But surely you have got to give it a go?!



The trip was a real treat and we had a few glasses of champagne in the room before heading out for dinner at a lovely little French restaurant called L'Artisan. I wore my new ASOS jumpsuit which I am already in love with having umm-ed and ahh-ed over it for quite some time before purchasing!

The next day we had an additional treat when the hotel staff brought us breakfast in bed on a little tray complete with pastries, toast, juice, coffee and granola with yoghurt.. Yummy. I thoroughly enjoyed our stay and would recommend the hotel to anyone as we found the staff to be extremely helpful and the whole trip was a great experience.




I hope you all had a brilliant weekend!

Rosie x




Sunday 5 January 2014

What I Got for Christmas...


Hi Everyone,

I hope you are all having a wonderful start to 2014! Christmas seems to be well and truly over now; the tree is down, selection boxes have been eaten and my Christmas playlist has been abandoned. I really enjoyed Christmas in 2013 and was lucky enough to receive some lovely presents, a few of which I thought I'd share with you in today's post. I'm doing this purely because I've read quite a few of these posts and found them really sweet and interesting, and so I hope you enjoy reading mine!

Handbag: I was truly spoilt by my boy this time around, and he bought me this AMAZING bag from Michael Kors. If any of you have read some of my previous Lust List posts then you will know that I am partial to a designer handbag, and Michael Kors is one of my all-time favourite brands. This bag is so buttery soft and has both a long and a short strap which makes it easy to carry around. I am so in love with it that I'm a bit scared to use it in case I get it dirty! It is absolutely beautiful and the colour is perfect for everyday- I was seriously impressed with his choice!

DKNY Makeup Bag: This bag is perfectly handbag-sized and will definitely come in handy. I always seem to be short of makeup bags so this was a really useful present for me and I love the cute DKNY pattern. 

Makeup Brush Set: This 11 piece brush set is from Fakeface and the brushes are lovely and soft. I love the angled blush brush and the precision eyeshadow brushes, plus they come in this really handy zip case. They are not quite on a par with my beloved Real Techniques brushes but who doesn't love a new set of makeup brushes, plus I love the packaging!

Makeup: I was given a lovely Estee Lauder set which includes a gel eyeliner, mascara and eyeshadow trio. I love Estee Lauder makeup and the packaging always feels very luxurious. I have only tried the eyeliner so far but it glides on so smoothly and really lasts all day so I'm very pleased with it. I also received some vouchers for Christmas so bought a few other bits and pieces including Laura Mercier Silk Creme Foundation, MAC eyeshadow in Brun, Clinique concealer in Chamois and YSL Rouge Volupte lipstick in Nude Beige. These were all treat puchases, especially the lipstick as I've had my eye on it for ages! I am really happy with everything I bought and I'm sure I will be reviewing these products soon.

Watch: This wasn't actually a Christmas present but I treated myself to this gorgeous Michael Kors watch in the January sales (yes, I'm obsessed I know!). I'd wanted one for a really long time and this one was just so beautiful that I couldn't resist. I love it so far and have been wearing it every day- it is such a statement piece but seems to go with everything and comes in this swanky Michael Kors box, yay!

There are a couple of other bits and pieces but as this is already quite a long post I won't bore you with them. All in all I was a very lucky lady and I cannot wait to test drive some of my new products! I am also one of the unfortunate January-birthday-people (the most depressing month to have a birthday ever), so hopefully I might have some new and shiny bits and pieces to show you after the 11th!

What did you all get for Christmas? If you've done a post on this I'd love to read it (and perhaps you can give me some birthday present inspiration!).

Rosie x