Christmas Giveaway Winner! ♥

HAPPY CHRISTMAS!

Hope everyone is having a great day so far and got all the gifts they hoped for!

Thank you everyone for entering, i never expected so many!I really enjoyed reading what you wanted for christmas, i will hopefully be doing a couple more giveaways in the new year (:

Anyways,
Ive dragged myself away from eating christmas pudding (yes, I eat christmas pudding for breakfast...family tradition!) to announce the winner of my christmas giveaway...

The lucky winner is, decided by Random.org...

*Drumrole please*

The lovely Emma!
Blog - CircusBox

Congratulations (:
I will email later on today for details...
Hope you enjoy your presents!

x

Christmas Giveaway! ♥

I bloody LOVE christmas!
Its absolutely, without a doubt my favourite time of the year!

I'm feeing especially festive, so i thaught a christmas giveaway was in need (:
I popped into my CCO yesterday and picked up a couple of bits and bobs to include in the prize.

The goodies -

Mac Vanilla pigment
Mac Like Venus Dazzleglass
Mac Cakeshop Shadestick
OPI Nail polish Lincoln Park After Dark Matte
PINK SMARTIES! (...because who dosnt love pink smarties?)

How to enter -

MUST be a follower, I will check. I'm doing this for all you lovely followers!
You can be anywhere in the world.
Only enter once.
Leave a comment letting me know...

whats on the top of your christmas wishlist?
(Optional extra entries, post a link about this giveaway on your blog/sidebar.)

& please leave your email so i can contact you if you win (:

I will use Random.org to generate a winner.

Simples.

Ending date - Saturday 25th December at 9am...Christmas day!
14 days to enter.
Good luck!

Collective Ring Haul ♥

My obsession with rings is growing stronger week by week, i now cant seem to leave the house without a hand laden in them. I even sneaked a couple of small rings on for work, despite the strict 'No jewellery' rule. I feel naked without them now.
My ring drawer no longer closes so i need to think up some genius way of storing them - any suggestions?

Over the past few weeks ive been on the hunt for some unusual, statement rings & ive found a few bargins along the way.

The first two i got were the two skull rings.
Ive been fascinated with skull rings for quite some time now, they're not everyone cup of tea, but i really like them, i think they make an outfit look a bit different & more...edgy?
Skull with flower - Matalan £6
Normal skull - Topshop £10

My favouirte is the one with the flower & its a complete steal at £6!
Quick snap on the London eye!

The next ones i got were these huge chunky cocktail rings from H&M...
Cheap as chips, some might think they are tacky but i embrace a bit of tackiness sometimes!
The bright turquoise one i think would look lovely with china glaze 'for Audrey' or Barry M 'Turquoise' in the summer.

Turquoise Ring - £2.99
Pearl Ring - £1.99
Vintage Gold Ring With Pearl Center - £2.99

The next two are aslo from Matalan. Gorgeous marbelled stones, i could'nt decide what colour to get, so...i got both. They are quite simple, so i got them to layer with other rings. Matalans jewellery is a bit hit and miss, but at the moment is really nice and quite quirky! The same as Topshop but about half the price.

Both were - £3.99


The last ring ive got is my new favourite!
It popped through my letterbox a few days ago and ive worn it every day since...
I know its been floating around lookbook and various blogs quite a bit recently, but i first heard about it when one of my favourite youtubers Barbara -
( ThePersianbabe )
mentioned it on one of her videos. Loved the look of it, So i rushed onto ASOS and ordered a gold one in medium.
I cant even count the amount of compliments ive had on it! I was in Miss Selfridges the other day and somehow it became the topic of conversation amongst all the staff in there, they are all ordering one too!
Its suprisingly comfortable for a double finger ring aswell, it dosnt restrict your movement too much.
Im actually going to order myself a silver one tonight i think.

Gold double finger cross ring - £8


Anyone reccomend anywhere for cheap cocktail rings?

London Makeup Haul/Splurge ♥

I'm so sorry, Ive been a terrible blogger and neglected my blog over the past couple of weeks, as ive been in London with my college course doing 'work' and by work i mean...shopping (:
I LOVE London for shopping. Even the thaught of Oxford street excites me as the shopping here in York isnt all that special and somewhat boring really, so being surrounded by hundreds of amazing shops is a real treat for me.
Every day i hopped on the underground (...Which, scares me alot!) and made my way to Oxford street and the first place i always headed to was Selfridges. I could quite litterally live in there!

I made a nice organised, relitivley small list of products that i wanted to get, determined not to spend over a certain amount - Did that happen...NO!
As soon as i stepped into the makeup part of selfridges, i went a bit crazy with spending (...considering i'm suppose to be on a makeup buying ban!) and if you have been there, you will understand how temping everything looks!
It might not be a splurge to some people but being a student, it is alot to me & my bank account is feeling the pain.

Heres what i got - I'll start with the things i got from other places first:

Korres Monoi Oil Bronzer 02 Sunglow Warm - £13
This was from Liberty, it was cheaper then what i expected it to be! Its not that much more than a drugstore bronzer really. I got this mostly for its moisturising properties, anything that claims to add moisture, i will buy! haha. Its a lovely colour bronzer aswell, not too red or too brown and has a little bit of shimmer in it, so it will be great for summer.

Mac full coverage foundation NW20 - £20
I got this from the Mac Pro Store, which is only round the corner from Liberty. I really need a full coverage foundation at the moment, My skin is not liking this weather and is deciding to go an unattractive shade of red. ew. This is basically like a concealer, but feels slightly lighter.

Now onto what i got at Selfridges...
Mac Pearl CCB - £13
Champeign cream highlighter. I was debating between this and Nars Copacabana, plumped for this as ive heard that the Nars one can drag off your other makeup when you apply it. I'm so happy ive finally got this as its been on my wishlist for a very long time.

Mac Fix+ - £11

This is my third bottle of this stuff, I havnt finnished my other bottle yet, but thaught i would stock up for winter. This is a HG for me, It just makes my makeup look alot fresher and more dewy + a bargin at £11...The Urban Decay one is around £17 and now where near as good!

Illamasqua Sob Cream Blusher - £16

I'm always hesitant to go to the Illamasqua counter at selfridges as everytime ive been there, a snooty sales assistant usually pounces on you every second you go near something. It puts me off. This time i had the sweetest guy, he let me actually look around and helped me when i asked. I asked him what cream blush he would recommend for fair skin with warm undertones and he pointed 'Sob' out to me and applied it to my cheeks. It really perked up my skin and looked really cute, like doll cheeks. I was sold.
Nars Luster Blush - £19.50.

I swatched this and fell in love. Its a pretty light apricot colour with bronzey shimmers. I dont think i have a blush like this. This was an impulse buy but its a lovey new addition to my Nars collection.
Laura Mercier Mineral Powder Tender Rose - £30

I'm most excited about this product, Ive wanted this ever since Pixi2woo or Tanya (...Love her!) raved about it on one of her videos. Ive dabbled in mineral powders before, but found them too drying...i heard this leaves a dewy finnish and improves the skin overtime, so we'll see how it goes! For £30, it better do something good!

I think thats enough makeup for a while now, I'm going to try and not buy any more untill after christmas as i am now oficially skint!

Anyone else love Selfidges?

Weekly Rediscovery - Mac MSF's ♥

I apologise for lack of posts this week, ive started a new job so ive been busy doing various inductions and i'm so exausted its unbelievable!

With the lack of shopping time ive had the past couple of weeks (booo!) ,ive been enjoying rediscovering products that i already own.
I think i'm going to do a 'Weekly Redicovery' post every week as a bid to try and use what i have and not waste money buying more & more products.
Ive put myself on a no-makeup-buy-unless-absalutley-necessary untill after christmas, I can hear a mulberry roxanee calling my name! haha

This week ive been rediscovering and really enjoying using my MSF's. I hauled these, forgott about them & never really used them, which is a shame because they really are beautiful products!

In my opinion MSFs are the star of Mac products - pretty swirly multi - use products? yes please! shimmer isnt everyones cup of tea, but i love a bit of shimmer, especially in these winter months when my skins so dry.

They can be used as a highlighter, all over the face to give a glow, blush, bronzer and eyeshadow.

(Close up goodness!)

So far i have:
peticoat, By Candlelight, Comfort, Stereo rose, Porcelain Pink, Soft and Gentle, Ligt Flush, So Ceylon, Refined, Perfect topping and Warm Blend.

Clockwise:
Perfect topping - swirls of lilac, peach, taupe and cream.
Soft and gentle - light luminous gold (my FAVOURITE msf!)
By candlelight - Peachy gold

Clockwise:
So ceylon - Plumby brown
Warm blend - Swirls together to make a deep bronze.
Comfort - Matte light brown.

Clockwise:
Petticoat - Rasberry pink, slight bronze tones in it also.
Porcelain Pink - very sheer pink with golden sheen.
Refined - Luminous light peach (another FAVOURITE!)

Left to right:
Stereo rose - Red toned coral.
Light flush - Light rasberry pink with strong peach sheen.

A few random tips:
Use msf's wet to create a more foiled intense colour and sheen, they are baked so it wont ruin the product!
Apply with a small dense kabuki like Macs 181 for a more precise application.
Dont tap your brush on the side of the product, i did this and it smashed! They are so fragile.

Whats your favourite MSF?

OOTD - Family Meal ♥

(...pose time!)

Went out with all the family today for a good ol' english roast dinner.

I wanted to dress up because its very rare that all my family gets together, but i didnt want to look 'overdone' as we just went down to the local pub.
It was a quite weird day, in terms of weather - one minute it was sunny and quite hot, the next minute the sun went it and it was freezing cold!

I wanted an excuse to wear my new puff shoulder jacket from new look. It's the perfect legnth and flares out slightly at the bottom. I feel like a doll in it (:

Outfit:
Black bodycon skirt - Topshop
Peach lace top - Topshop
Sheer black tights - have no idea!
Black puff shoulder jacket - New Look (current season £35)
Pointy black suede shoes - Miss Selfidges

I tucked the lace top into my bodycon skirt to break the outfit up a little.
LOVE this lace top! Lace is probably my favourite thing to wear.

Accessories -
Tan sachel - Primark
Black ring - Primark

(Yay for primark! haha)
I wanted to wear my mulberry bayswater, but i ended up wearing this light tan slouchey satchel as i thaught if i wore my mulberry, i would be wearing far too much black.
I also kept my accesories simple. Just wearing this chunky black ring and that is all.

Hello to all my new followers!
i'm going to do a small giveaway soon, so look out for that (:

Beauty Blender Review ♥

Ive been raving about this in a few of my posts and this deffinitely deserves a review of its own.
See this little pink sponge below? it works mirricals.

Id seen alot of reviews of this hot pink sponge all over and i was intrigued. I was slightly dubious of its (...rather cheesey) claims, shich were to 'modernise the way you make up' and how 'you can look like a movie star without the pricey services of a major make up artist'.
I thaught it would just be one of those gimmicky things that, in reality do nothing.

I'm a sucker for gimmickey things, so i baught.

When i opened the envelope, i was quite suprised to see how small it was. I was expecting something alot more bigger
(...things always look bigger online, dont they? No pun intended).
After scanning the instructions, i did as it said and ran it under some water and squeezed out the excess. It expands by nearly double its size which then covers more surface area and also stops it soaking up your foundation.

Left - before. Right - after.

The texture of the sponge is quite weird, I was expecting quite a scratchy sponge - Think bath sponges - but this is the softest thing ive felt!
On the website they even say 'Its suede texture is sensual to the touch' and I agree.

Its very squishy and has a tapered end, which i assume is ment for concealer and getting around the nose and other hard to reach places that a brush couldnt get to.

I find this sponge really makes foundation appliction 2x faster and well, more 'enjoyable', as i dont really want to be buffing foundation into the skin for 5 minuites untill my arm aches at 6am in the morning haha. This sponge litterally had cut my foundation application down to literally a minite. yay!
It desperses the product fast and evenly on the face with no streaks what so ever.This is down to its 'patent-pending elliptical shape' which makes it special to the normal quare shaped sponges.

What i like best about the sponge is it can be used with cream products, liquid products,concealer, powder foundation and cream blush, Ive even used the tapered bit to apply benefit's high beam and it worked fab. So nect time i go on holiday, this will be coming with me as it does lots of jobs in one.

I got some cleanser with it, but ive found that using just warm water and just any mild shampoo works just as well.

I dont think these are avilable in the UK (grrr) but you can find them on eBay (...which is where i got mine...) for around £20 for 2 sponges + cleaner sachets and they last about 7 months a sponge, from experience.

So, overall, i REALLY recommend you try this!
Have you got a Beauty Blender? What do you think?

Top 5 Foundations For Winter ♥

I admit, i'm a foundation fiend.
Its bad i know, but i seem to have an obsession with finding the 'perfect foundation',
I like my skin to look even, clear and flawless because in my mind, if your skin is flawless, everything else looks great.
No matter how much pennies it costs me, i will pay...you cant put a price on gorgeous skin, right?
I'm always on the search for that 'better' foundation, my latest lemming is Guerlein's Lingerie de Peau.
Better start saving then.
£££
My 'Summer foundations' such as Mac Face and body and Revlon photoready have been retired to the back of my makeup drawer and out come the winter ones.

My skins been playing up quite bad recently, i think it is because of the sudden change in weather. The past week ive woken up with dry patches and blotchy red skin (...attractive). So i'm needing abit more coverage and moisture then normal.

So these are my favourite foundations that i'm reaching for and loving at the moment:

Mac Moistureblend NW20
Ive been using this foundation alot on days where my skins been really parched needs moisture. the names in the title, Its one of the most moisturising foundations i have tried(...verging on maybe being a bit too moisturising?)
I love it anyways, it's medium coverage and can be built up to very full coverage without being cakey, You need to set it with powder though, or it will just slide right off.
This will be a must for me this winter.
RRP £22

DiorSkin Nude 02 Light Beige
I was really hesitant to splurge on this as the assistant at Dior said it was quite sheer...I went ahead and got it anyway - Sheer?! yes its liquidy but NOT sheer.
It covered all my redness and made my skin look so fault-free. It consists of quite a high percentige of water so its really soothing on my skin and hydrating. I find this foundation just sinks right into the skin, it does not rest on top of the skin like most foundations do and it leaves a fairly dewy finnish. I wore this on a night out and a friend said my skin looked 'airbrushed and glowing'. Thank you DiorSkin Nude haha.
RRP £29

Nars sheer Glow Mont blanc
This is neither sheer or neither does it glow. Its actuially medium coverage to full and rather matte - well, more a 'satin' finnish.
The finnish is beautiful though, it really evens out my skintone nicely with the smallest amount and looks like skin. You can tell the quiality of this foundation as no matter how many layers you build up, it wont go cakey. It blends like a dream also, you could just throw it on and it would look beautiful. I fell in love with this as soon as i used it!
I cant describe the finnish though, but its gorgeous.
RRP £29

Mac Studio Fix NW20
This is a tad dark for me so i mix it with a tiny bit of NW15.
This foundation is the thickest of them all, (...So thick, i had to buy i pump!)and the highest coverage...Its also has a very matte finnish, so i usually mis in some sort of illuminator to make it more dewy. I wear this on days when my skin is VERY uneven and its the one that i have repurchased the most. I think ive gone though about 3 bottles of this stuff. amazing! Will always have a bottle of this in my collection.
RRP £19

Revlon Colourstay Buff
The cheapest out of the lot at around £10. This really works just aswell as studio fix with its finnish, its fairly matte so i use an illuminator with it. I always wear this when i'm not doing much but my skin needs *something* on it.
Its fairly high coverage, more then all the others, but a little less then studio fix.
RRP £10

Swatches!
(they all sook so dark here for some reason?)

Left to right - Moistureblend, DiorSkin, Sheer Glow, Studio Fix, Colourstay

& the winner is...
Nars sheer glow. For the simple reason that is it FAB.

Oh, i also wanted to sneak in a NOTD in there ;)
I'm wearing Models Own Grey Day - LOVE this colour! Its the most perfect grey-ey blue ive found.

Can anyone reccomend me a good, full coverage foundation to try?
Whats your favourite?

Mini Rave - LUSH Maple Taffy Lip Balm ♥

Lush Maple Taffy, A new LUSH christmas product.

Lush Says -
"The taste of this balm is unbelievably moreish. Mixed in with the syrup, we've added Japan and carnauba waxes with extra virgin coconut oil to form a moisturising layer on the lips and keep them safe from the nip of winter. "

I was on the search for good 'winter' lip balm and had read mostly positive reviews on lushes site for this product, so i popped into lush on my way back from work a few days ago and grabbed one.
A winter lip balm in my opinion needs to be thick, long lasting moisturising and also has to prevent my lips from cracking and peeling...this little tin was just what i was on the hunt for.

I have and love the Palmers Dark chocolate and peppermint lip balm that was in my previous monthly favourites post, but that has quite a thin consistency and i use that to just pop over lipsticks while on the go and I needed something to get me through the (...supposedly) harsh winter thats ahead!

My thaughts?
Just like all Lush lip balms the texture is very waxy, hard and thick, which i love as it really cotes the lips well and acts as a barrier against the icy wind, i find it works a treat under drying lipstick and fills in any lines in the lips, making lips look plumper and more healthy, almost acts as a good lip primer in a way!

This balm contains real Syrup, which makes it taste unusual...but i like it,
Ive never known a lip balm contain real syrup before!
It lasts a good 2 hours on my lips and even after its gone, my lips still feel soft a while after.

The smell is divine and is the thing that makes this lip balm so addicting to apply. Whenever i smell it, it makes me think of christmas!

The Scent is quite difficult to describe, i cant quite put my finger on it, its quite a spicy, sweet, sickly cakey scent, so being a major sweet lover, i adore it! Its not for everyone though, one of my friends said it made her feel nauseous, while another said it was yummy.
It really does remind me of butterscotch angels delight...
...Remember that stuff? yum.

The only downside to this balm is you really need to rub your fingers around for a minute to warm the product up as it is so thick and is almost a solid product. The texture is very similar to Lushes solid perfumes if youve ever tried any of them.

Ingrediends?
all good ofcourse!

Maple Syrup Extra Virgin
Coconut Oil Illipe Butter Japan Wax Extra Virgin Coconut oil (Cocos nucifera), Maple Syrup, Japan Wax (Rhus succedanea), Shea Butter (Butyrospermum parkii), Illipe Butter (Shorea stenoptera), Carnauba Wax, Flavour, Glycerine.

Price?
A teeny tiny £2.50!
Its so cheap, ive stocked up on them to see me through winter (:

Will you be buying a tin?