Blogmas day seven: GLOSSYBOX

I have been subscribed to Glossybox for a little over a year now, in the beginning I would be so excited to get a little box of treasures in the middle of every month. Some months would be great and I would love pretty much all the products, other months I would be sorely disappointed. I have received some great products that I love and have totally been worth the cost, but then I also have a box of miniature products I don't like and have no use for. I have been thinking about cancelling my membership but I thought I would get my Christmas box and see how I like it first.

I picked it up from the postbox and it was all red and shiny, inside it had lovely candy cane tissue paper  and green shredded tissue, oh so festive. Then I saw the products...

1. LIPSY GLAM perfume 
Oh fab another 2ml miniature perfume, I think I may have had one of these in every Glossybox. I rarely like the scent, there is never enough for a days wear. It just seems like a slightly cheap, easy product for them to put inside. As for the actual perfume, I am not a massive fan it smells a bit like shampoo.

2. Seche - AUDACIOUS 
I was in two minds about this product in my box, first of all I love a nail varnish but I got the same brand of nail varnish in my Glossybox last Christmas, granted it was a blue not a pink. I did love the nail varnish last year but not enough to go out an buy it so getting another one wasn't really a bonus.

3. MAYBELLINE - COLOR TATTOO 24hr in Gold
Its nice to see a high street favourite in my Glossybox, I do love these for blending and lining the eye but not in gold. I know its the festive season but gold is just way too much. I am going to try to do some festive looks with it but the gold is very yellow. I'm just going to give it a go.

4. WILKINSON SWORD - Naturals Razor 
This is an odd one, although a good one finally. I have used this before and loved it but I'm not an expensive razor kinda girl, I usually buy five for £2. So this was a lovely surprise.

5. Beautiful Movements Cosmetics - Nude Lip Gloss
This is do love, I have wanted a nude lip gloss for a while but just never got found to finding a good one. I saw Kimberly Wyatt talking about this makeup range at the Glossybox one year anniversary in Covent Garden in the summer and she talked about it with a lot of passion, this is the second time I have used something from BCM and both times they have been from a Glossybox.

I really love the progression Glossybox have made in the last year I have been subscribed but in all honesty I think I am going to unsubscribe. I am always excited because I want each month to be better than the last and I love supporting something form the beginning, when I went to their Covent Garden event everyone was so friendly and I have never had a problem with Glossybox. The products more often than not just sit unused after I try them for the first time, I would rather spend the extra each month on something I know I will use.

Only nine days to go, are you ready?
Sending you all lots of christmas cheer x

Blogmas day six: My current face brushes.

Foundation brushes were something I just couldn't get my head round for so long, the flat ones just never made sense they don't buff into the skin and are difficult to use but then I found so many good ones. I love the Real Techniques Stippling Brush and Expert Face Brush, but these five are the brushes I use everyday at the moment.

1. ZOEVA - 104 BUFFER 
This is my favourite foundation brush I have found, it has a good size brush and works foundation into the skin. It is also a great price, they are sold from Germany so the shipping is slightly more expensive but they are totally worth it.

2. ZOEVA - 142 CONCEALER BUFFER 
The concealer brush is great for buffing in concealer, it is great for stick concealer. I like to use this before I apply foundation and then any blemishes that need concealing afterwards I use a liquid concealer.

3. NARS - #21 Ita Brush 
I am in love with this brush, I had been looking for a brush that contour easily. It works great for contouring but also easily applies bronzer all over the face.

4. Real Techniques - blush brush 
This brush is loved by makeup lovers everywhere. As a blush brush it is perfect. Real Techniques brushes are amazing, they are a great price and always amazing.

5. Real Techniques - setting brush
This is a small face brush which can also be great for concealer but I love it for powder under the eyes or for precise highlighter.

It's the penultimate shopping weekend before christmas, I hope your ready. I am getting super excited.

Blogmas Day Five: Top five festive nail polishes

One of my favourite things about the festive season is being able to get the glitter back out, wear white, red and green on my nails. These are my top five favourite festive nail polishes. As I have mentioned before I always use the Sally Hansen Insta-dri top coat but I also love Sally Hansen maximum strength as a base coat. I am a strong advocate of a base coat, no one wants stained nails.

1. OPI - Color so hot it berns 
I love this classic red by OPI, red is always a number one for Christmas time.

2. Revlon - 571 POSH
This a great green, it's just a bright medium shade of green. I love this in the summer too but it matches so well with the red.

3. Sally Hansen - 835 Coat of Arms 
This was one of my November favourites but I love this gold and it is seriously great for Christmas nails.

4. OPI - Alpine Snow 
The name says it all doesn't it. This white is great, its highly pigmented so you can get away with one coat. This is my go to white polish.

5. Revlon - 340 STUNNING 
This is a great glitter top coat, I loved the gold one Revlon had last year but this year I'm switching to silver.

I have so many nail polishes and I really wanted to included Essie's winter collection from last year because I love those too.

I hope your advent calendar is giving you all festive joy in the mornings.

Blogmas Day Four: Winter Plum Lips

I usually go for light lips, but this winter I have been loving plum colours. I have three favourites two of which I have mentioned quite a few times.

1. Chanel Rouge Allure 116 Envoutante
I have been loving this, I have mentioned it a few times. It is by far my favourite, it is very highly pigmented and glittery. I love wearing it, and I love the packaging.

2. Bourjois Color Boost 06 Plum Russian 
Again I have mentioned these Lipstick pencils a number of times but the colour of this one is my favourites. It's not too dark but is really moisturising which is great for the winter.

3. Revlon Super Lustrous Lipstick 477 Black Cherry
This one is super dark, but still holds the dark cherry colour. I really like the dark plum colour although I am not 100% confident about it yet, but with a lighter eye I think it really works.

Sending you all lots of lovely Christmas cheer :)

Blogmas Day Three: Lip Care for winter

Well I guess I haven't kept up with Blogmas very well. I will keep trying to blog more every week until Christmas.

Winter is getting into full swing which means chapped lips, the bane of my life. I have found some products that keep my lips moisturised during these cold spells and some ways to get rid of those chapped lips.
I generally use lip balm everyday to keep chapped lips at bay, I always have the clear Babylips by Maybelline in my handbag, I use this a lot when I am at work as the air conditioning can also dry out my lips.
I then Blistex Daily Lip Conditioner when I am at home especially in the morning whilst applying my make up, if I know I am going to wear lipstick it just help my lips to be primed and ready.
When I have a cold or just feel the effects of the cold air on my lips and they get dry I have a two step routine that usually clears it up in a couple of days. I use the Lush Mint Julips Lip Scrub to exfoliate the dry skin, this tastes amazing (you can also eat it), I then apply Blistex Relief Cream as soon as I have exfoliated and then when needed through out the day.

All of these products are fabulous and we always want to have kissable lips.
I hope we are all having a gorgeous festive season right now.

Blogmas Day Two: Simple day to day eyeshadow

I tend to have a few favourite eyeshadow looks that I use day to day, this one I love when I want to use less eyeshadow but still build some depth into the look.

Step one: As always I prime my eyes for eyeshadow using Nars Pro-Prime.
Step two: I used Emite eyeshadow in the colour Nect on the lid of the eye and then lightly up the brow bone using a Real Techniques shading brush.
Step three: I then applied a small amount of the colour Foxy from the Naked Basics palette over the lid using the same brush.
Step four: Then taking a Zoeva 234 Smoky Shader I put the colour Naked2 from the Naked Basics palette on to the crease without blending it in.
Step Five: On the same brush and from the same palette I took Faint and again put it on the crease.

Step Six: I then blended the colours into the crease with a Mac 217 brush.
Step Seven: I then lined the outer corner of the top lash line using Topshop waterproof liner in the colour Burnished.
Step Eight: I applied the same eyeliner along the top and bottom waterline, then blended with a Mac 219 brush.
Finally I applied Benefit they're real! to my lashes.

 

I have matched this eyeshadow look with Mac Lovelorn lipstick but as it is so neutral it can be worn with so many shades of lipstick.

Spend the christmas joy!

Blogmas Day One: Red Lips for a Christmassy look

So yes it is the 2/12 today but I did say I wouldn't update on Sundays.

I am so super excited for christmas, there was puppy behind my advent calendar door today, not a really one sadly.

Today I am wearing red lips because I am so freaking excited for christmas. The fact I am going to the library to do revision and I have red lips on must mean I am excited. I have three favourite red lipsticks at the moment, here are some reviews and swatches.







Dior - Diorific 038 Diva

This is a luxury product I just can't get enough of. I always go for more pinky tones in my red lipsticks as I don't suit orange tones, and this one is perfect. I hunted high and low for a luxury red that was perfect and I think I have found it. I love the packaging it is very decadent and makes me feel super special.




Topshop - Really Ruby 

I love a Topshop lipstick and this one is no exception, it is a darker colour but still holding the pink tones. Topshop lipsticks featured in my Top Ten Under £10 blog post, I absolutely love them. This  one is highly pigmented and has a great colour, deep enough to match that christmas dress.




Bourjois - Color Boost 05 Red Island

We all know how much I love these, this is the perfect red lipstick if you are after something that will not dry out your lips this winter. It is beautifully shiny without being to glossy, therefore it keeps your lips hydrated. As it is not as matte as the other it doesn't last as long but it is still a lovely product.


Lets all enjoy statement lips this December...

Blogmas?

I feel rather foolishly I have taken it upon myself to take part in blogmas. I love blogmas and vlogmas every year, I tought I might give it a go. For anyone who is unfamiliar with the concept it is when bloggers and vloggers either post a blog or a vlog every day leading up to christmas. As I am super excited about christmas I thought I'd give it a go. Now I will try and upload something everyday, no matter how big or small, apart from Sundays, I work all day sundays which makes it hard to get anything done.

Another notice, I have now set my blog up on Bloglovin'. Thereis a link on the sidebar to link you to it, if you are not on it, sign up because you can follow all your favourite blogs in one simple place.

LETS GET GOING.