Charlotte Tilbury K.I.S.S.I.N.G Mini Lipstick Charms

Hi everyone! I know that some of you might be thinking that it's too early to be posting about Christmas gifting in October however I can't help myself! I just skip over Halloween and get excited for Christmas as soon as October comes around plus it's very nearly November so this is how I justify it to myself! I just love Christmas gifting too, in my opinion it's so much more fun than receiving the standard products that are out all year round, I'm obsessed with the cute little sets plus as soon as I see the words 'limited edition' I'm set on having it, definitely a little problem of mine, however I'm hoping I'm not the only one? Anyway I've been having a really rubbish couple of weeks, do you ever feel like life just throws everything at you all at once and it just seems like one thing after another? It's been one of those times! So I was having a browse online and I saw the Charlotte Tilbury K.I.S.S.I.N.G Mini Lipstick Charms Christmas set, this was actually out last year as well and I really wanted it but I saw it too close to Christmas and it had sold out so I jumped at the chance when I saw it and bought it for myself now to make myself feel better!

I've actually never owned anything by Charlotte Tilbury before as I always found it too expensive but this was a treat so I was so excited to see if it lived up to expectations! This set costs £29 so it isn't actually the best value for money as the lipsticks are really tiny, the three of these lipsticks amount to the size of one full lipstick for £6 more than the stand alone lipstick price. Whilst this is a little annoying I think it's still really good for anyone like me who hasn't tried the brand before and wants to know which shades will work best for them. Plus even though they are tiny they are so cute and would be a really cute Christmas present for a loved one, or to ask for yourself!

The packaging is so cute and feels very festive! You get little ribbons on top of them as well so you could tie it to a tree for someone as a cute little surprise. You get three of the most popular shades from the K.I.S.S.I.N.G lipstick range, from left to right in the swatch picture you get:

- So Marilyn

- Bitch Perfect

- Penelope Pink

I'd heard so much about how the formula of these lipsticks is amazing and it is so true! I'm actually obsessed with them. The website states they are enriched with a breakthrough secret ingredient, The Lipstick Tree, that leaves lips cashmere soft and irresistible. I definitely have to agree they are so moisturising but also so pigmented! Despite being so moisturising the staying power is pretty good a well, I tend to go for a more moisturising finish over a matte finish as I have quite dry lips anyway. I'm in love with the colours in this set as well they are so pretty, I would have to say Bitch Perfect is probably my favourite and I am going to ask for the full size product of this for Christmas but surprisingly I fell in love with So Marilyn and I'm not really one for red lipstick but this one is so gorgeous and not too full on, so if you're a bit scared of red lipstick like me then this is perfect for you! They are all amazing though, I can see why they are so hyped up and I'm really glad I got this little set so I could try all three. 

I'm will 100% be trying more of this brand as a treat as it is expensive but I've fallen in love! Let me know in the comments if you've tried any of these lipsticks and also any good Christmas gifts you've seen around as I'm always looking for more!

Illamasqua Radiance Veil

Hi everyone! Apologises for the lack of posts this week I've had the worst flu all week, the kind where you have zero energy to even get out of bed so I've been off work and uni and thankfully I am starting to feel a bit better because it was not a good week! Before I start this post I just wanted to point out I am reviewing the sample size of this product in case anyone thinks that the product itself is just really tiny, this week I made an order to Beauty Bay and it allowed me to pick a free sample because I spent over a certain amount of money and I was so excited to see that you could get a sample of Illamasqua's new Radiance Veil primer. Hydra Veil is my all time favourite primer and I was so excited when they released Radiance Veil because I hoped to love it as much as Hydra Veil! 

On the website Radiance Veil is described as 'part primer part illuminator' and it also states that 'vitamin C provides moisturising benefits whilst the fine shimmer particles inject light onto the skin'. Being someone who has very dull skin this appeals to me so much, I love luminous skin that looks really healthy and glowy so I had really high hopes for this product and I really wanted it to be amazing! I was really glad I was able to get hold of a sample because at £32 it really isn't cheap, I find it harder to part with more money as well over a primer as oppose to say a foundation and because this is a new product there isn't much out there on how it actually performs. I really have jumped on the primer bandwagon though I love them and I think they make a big difference for me.

You can see in the pictures this product has a very thick consistency so a little goes such a long way and it doesn't pick it up too well but in the second image you can see how shimmery the product is, almost comes off metallic. To be honest and I was really disappointed to feel like this I am just really not sold on it! Because my skin had been very dry due to being ill I was hoping it would be as moisturising as it claimed to be but I didn't feel like it gave me any moisturising benefits at all and my skin still felt almost cracked and uncomfortable. It definitely does give a radiant glow to the skin though although I feel it is a bit too shimmery for me and I actually found that it didn't give too much luminosity once foundation had been applied. It's a shame because I love their other products so much and I really wanted to love this as well but I just didn't. 

I think for anyone with normal skin or anyone who just doesn't have dry skin it would be really good for you if you want that shimmery glow but anyone with dry skin I don't think it is the best fit for them. For me personally it just didn't work but everyone is different and I do think if you have good skin then this will help emphasise it and give a nice glow. It states on the website that this can be mixed with liquid foundation to customise a luminous finish, I haven't tried this yet but I think for me this would put better use to this product as oppose to just using it as a primer. I will definitely be sticking to Hydra Veil which I am still in love with and would recommend to anyone as a saviour for dry skin, let me know in the comments if you have tried any of Illamasqua's primers and what you think!

Pixi Glow Tonic

Hi everyone! I am the first to admit that I am totally lazy when it comes to skin care and I definitely do neglect my skin which is really bad, the problem for me is time. I work till 10 o'clock at night most days and then I have to be up at 6am for uni again the next day so when I get home I need to jump into bed straight away so I only take my make up off and that's it. As a result I have skin that I am fairly unhappy with. There are a few things that I feel aren't totally my fault for example I have red pigmentation around my cheeks but I think I could do a lot more to help my dry skin which to be honest I find very dull. So when I heard about the Pixi Glow Tonic from absolutely loads of bloggers who raved about it I really wanted to try it, especially because it sounded so quick and easy and something I could add into the new skincare routine I wanted to have. By the way these pictures were taken back when the bottle was new, I have been using it for around 2 weeks now.

It is an exfoliating toner infused with glycolic acid and aloe vera, whilst this doesn't mean much to me it also states that it can quickly and gently counteract dullness to leave your skin luminous. This is something that definitely appeals to me as I don't really understand the science talk! For me all I really want is soft luminous skin, I'm fed up of my skin looking so tired!

It is very simple to use as part of a skin care routine, you can use it AM and PM as it states on the bottle but I prefer to use it just on a night, you apply it with a cotton pad and sweep it over your face. I was skeptical at first because me and skin care products don't get on, I'm really impatient when I don't see a difference quickly and I give up straight away but this hasn't been the case at all with this product! I knew I wasn't going to wake up with perfect skin over night because my skin is so dull but the improvements I have seen over just two weeks are so reassuring! The biggest thing I noticed was that my red pigmentation has calmed down a lot and I'm really hoping that by continuing to use it this will even out more and more. Also I had a few spots the week that I started using this that wouldn't budge but it helped clear them up so quickly! I do find that since my skin is already dry it doesn't do anything moisturising wise but if I use this alongside a moisturiser my skin feels much fresher and softer. 

Although it does state it removes dead skin cells I have very flaky skin on my nose which I have still had to use a scrub on (I haven't had to use it on the rest of my face though, just my nose) as this doesn't tackle that problem however it is bad so I didn't really expect it to. At £18 a bottle it isn't cheap but it will last a very long time and it really is amazing! I bought mine from Cult Beauty and I really want to try the Glow Mud Cleanser to use alongside this. I would definitely recommend this for anyone looking to improve their skins luminosity and make it look less tired, it really has made a difference. I feel like I do look more glowy and that is only after 2 weeks so hopefully it will keep working. However the biggest plus for me is that it has helped with my red pigmentation on my cheeks, something which has made me so self concious in the past. Let me know in the comments if you've tried this or anything else by Pixi!

Collection Lasting Perfection Concealer

Hi everyone! I know that the Collection Lasting Perfection Concealer is an insanely blogged about product and an absolute bloggers favourite however I had never actually tried it, I just recently bought it and I wanted to see whether or not it actually lives up to the hype. That's the thing with these really hyped up products sometimes they just don't work for you and you will be so disappointed since everyone else seems to love them and I wanted to see whether this product works for me or not.

I bought mine from Boots for £4.19, it is such an affordable price for a concealer, really won't break the bank which is why when I bought it I was so hopeful that I'd love it because repurchasing it wouldn't seem like such a hassle for that price! I also got mine in the shade fair 01, this was the biggest issue I had, the shade range is very small. When I bought mine there was only 4 shades available and I felt like this one was a bit too light for me and the next shade up was too dark as I wanted to highlight and conceal. I went for 01 anyway and it isn't too light, I would have just preferred it a touch darker. 

This is claimed to be a long lasting concealer which can last up to 16 hours, I've tried and tested it and I would definitely say it has staying power, although I can't vouch for it lasting 16 hours and I don't think many other people could as no one really wears make up for 16 hours! It has a doe foot applicator which I love, this is my favourite type of applicators for concealer I just think they are no where near as messy as when you get those little bottles that are either a squeezy top or a pump! If I'm honest when I first applied it I really wasn't sure, I felt like it wasn't going to work with my dry skin and I found blending it quite difficult however it has really grown on me. Once I'd blended it I was very happy with the coverage, I have quite dark under eye circles and I felt like it worked really well at concealing them and the shade worked as a nice highlighter even though it may have been better a tiny bit darker. I found it really good for not creasing and it was also good at concealing blemishes.

I definitely think for the price it is really good, however for my skin type and for what I look for in a product I wouldn't say it's the best I've ever tried. I think for anyone with normal/oily skin or someone that prefers a full coverage look it will be amazing for them. I do like it and will continue to use it when I need my make up to last all day but it is a bit matte for me, I like something a bit more radiant and brightening however for the price I really am not going to complain and I would repurchase, let me know in the comments what you think of this product and whether you think it is worth the hype!

Mini Yankee Candle Haul

Hi everyone! I thought I'd post something a little different today but I wanted to because I love hearing people's recommendations for candles they love as there is so much to choose from and it can be quite hard to pick from such a big range. I had a little spree in Clintons as I was looking for some of the Autumn products from Yankee Candle however they weren't in the shop yet but I ended up leaving with some totally random scents that don't really match the season but they smell amazing anyway!

- Vanilla Cupcake. This one smells very similar to one in their Christmas range called Christmas Cookie but I think this one is a bit sweeter. I love food scents and this one isn't so sweet that it is a bit sickly. I feel like it will make the room smell a bit like a bakery which I love!

- Summer Scoop. I know this is totally the wrong season for this scent however it is absolutely amazing! It is very hard to describe all I can say is that it is very fresh and fruity and just so gorgeous, plus the colour of this one is very pretty which is also a bonus.

- Berry Trifle. I absolutely fell in love with this one as well, I really wanted the small jar but they only had the big jar or the set of 12 tealights so I just ended up getting the tea lights but I am obsessed with this! I really can't wait to light these so my bedroom smells amazing.

Let me know in the comments any of your favourite scents as I am always on the lookout for more!

Anastasia Beverly Hills Brow Wiz

Hi everyone! I got a new product recently as I have been growing more and more unhappy with my brow routine. I've been using Benefit's Gimme Brow since it came out which I loved and was great for me at the time however the issue is that it only comes in two colours, dark and light basically. I have naturally blonde hair however I died it a dark brown and that was my hair colour when I got that product however I've stopped dying it and I'm letting it grow progressively lighter and now I have light golden brown hair and I feel like my brows just look far too dark. Although I have naturally dark eyebrows anyway I just really didn't like the way it looked anymore so I had to go on the hunt for a new brow product.

I was drawn straight to Anastasia Beverly Hill's Brow Wiz because everyone raved about it, and I absolutely love that brand. The main thing though that made me want to get it was that it is said to be really easy and convenient. My skills in eyebrows and eye make up is really not the best, I'm so jealous of people who are amazing at doing their eyebrows and I can just never get the hang of it so anything that is described as easy has me sold! Plus I prefer the natural eyebrow look and I had heard that you could apply this to have more natural looking brows. I ordered mine from Cult Beauty by the way if anyone doesn't know where to find it in the UK!

I got mine in the shade medium brown which I believe was previously medium ash. I'm so glad I did because it is actually the perfect match, if you have dark eyebrows which aren't quite black and are very cool toned then this will be perfect for you as well! It really is a skinny brow pencil, it's retractable by the way so you get lots of product for your money. I love the fact that it is so skinny though because when you struggle at doing your brows like me it massively reduces the chances of making them look very messy.

I absolutely love how it applied, I do think it is very easy, although I need a little bit more practice just to get them exactly how I want. The spoolie on the other side is so convenient as well just to brush through and neaten up your brows during application. It gave me the natural look that I wanted without being too dark and crazy. I was a bit worried that it wouldn't live up to all the hype it got but I am so impressed and I think it will be one of my staple products in my make up bag! I think if you want more intense brows then the Dipbrow Pomade might be better for you, but for people who prefer the more natural look like me then this is perfect and also very easy!

The price of this from Cult Beauty was £15,50 and I definitely think it is worth it as you will get so much use out of it, plus it is amazing and makes getting nice brows so much easier. I had to set it with a brow gel that I already had but I want the ABH Clear Brow Gel now as the one I have has a slight tint to it and I love the colour of the Brow Wiz so much that I don't want to change that. Let me know in the comments if you have this product and what you think!

Affordable Face Masks

Hi everyone! I thought I'd do a post today on affordable face masks that you tend to use when you've got your friends round or when your skin needs a quick refresh. Bear in mind that these face masks aren't going to give you amazing skin after one use but I think they are more for the fun of it and they do leave your skin feeling nice and fresh after you've used them plus they're so cheap!

- Raspberry Smoothie Pore Cleansing Mask by H&M. This one smells absolutely amazing and it will leave your skin feeling so clean! It contains crushed raspberry, mango, apricot, peach and pomegranate, I love fruity face masks I'd choose these over any other scents. This one claims to cleanse and soften tired skin and states it will clean blocked pores leaving your skin fresh and smooth. I definitely agree with this, you do feel like your skin is really clean and it leaves your face smelling so good! This one was only 99p as well which is so affordable and I found it in the displays they have next to the tills as you're queuing up so definitely worth a try!

- Manuka Honey Peel Off Mask by Montagne Jeunesse. This mask contains manuka honey and jasmine so it has a very sweet scent, manuka honey is a natural cleanser so it will leave your skin feeling really fresh. I personally love peel off masks the most because I find them really entertaining to peel off! Like when you were in primary school and you put PVA glue all over your hand to peel it off when it dried...I definitely wasn't the only one to do this right? This brand is really popular in UK drugstores like Superdrug and Boots but I got this one from Sainsburys from £1 so again really affordable! The packaging states you should use this weekly as part of a skin care routine so if you did want to do that then £1 won't break your budget which is why these are so great.

- Pulped Pomegranate Passion Peel Off Mask by Montagne Jeunesse. Another one by this brand but I really do like them and they have a really wide range of products. This one has pomegranate, passion flower, raspberry, grape, cranberry and vitamin E so it has a lovely fruity smell which I love! It is a deep cleansing mask that purifies and protects and this one is my favourite of the ones featured in this post. This one was also £1 which you can get in your local drugstores plus they have so many other products you can pick from so you can get a bit mix and match if you want. Another peel off mask but I absolutely love them and is there anything worse than when you have a thick mask that needs to be aggressively scrubbed to make it come off and then you find specks of product in your hairline and around your ears for ages! 

Like I mentioned they aren't gonna totally change your skin and fix all your problems but they are so affordable for a quick refresh and cleanse plus they're really fun! Let me know in the comments if you have tried any of these products and what you think!

A Day At The Seaside

Hi everyone! I haven't done a lifestyle post in a while and they are probably some of my favourites to read so I thought I'd share with you the really lovely day I had yesterday! Apologies for the photo quality by the way the pictures were taken on my iPhone as I didn't bring my camera with me. Anyway my boyfriend Matty stayed over on Tuesday night and we planned to have a chilled day and just go to the gym on the Wednesday, but I woke up Wednesday morning and could see how nice the weather looked outside and I thought do I really want to waste my day off uni and his day off work going to the gym? I really fancied going to Whitby which is a seaside town in North Yorkshire about an hour away from where I live, so we headed off there!

Considering it was the end of September and it was North Yorkshire where it rains all the time we got so lucky with the weather as it was such a sunny day with that really nice crisp chilly air that you get in Autumn. We got there about half 1 and walked down to the front where everything is and we were so hungry at that point so we got fish and chips from a place called The Magpie Cafe which is a famous fish and chip restaurant that also has a takeaway, we got a takeaway and sat by the sea and it really does live up to it's reputation, if you are in Whitby get fish and chips from there! After that we had a walk down to the pier and then up to the shops and when you're there you have to climb the 199 steps to the top of this hill where you get a lovely view. I did this right after my fish and chips thought with an ice cream in my hand so I was a little bit weighed down but we got there! It really is a gorgeous view when you get a nice day, I definitely think Whitby is underrated so we sat up there for a bit then headed back down to the amusements (it's a must I don't care how old you are). We won three prizes on the 2p machines as well which is a bonus as they are definitely a scam! I also forced Matty to play crazy golf with me as I'm crazy competitive and obsessed with it.

If you live anywhere near here and want to go for a day out I'd definitely recommend it, plus when you get nice weather it's such a gorgeous place and it's filled with amazing food like fish and chips, and loads of sweet shops that do the nicest sweets! Plus lots of amusements and cute little shops, so glad I spent our day off doing something relaxing, let me know in the comments if you've ever been to Whitby!

NYX Soft Matte Lip Cream

Hi everyone! Apologies for the lack of posts recently I have had the most hectic stressful week as I went back to uni for my third and final year and I literally got a massive amount of pressure dumped on my shoulders so I have needed a minute just to chill out! Just thought I'd let you know that I will have a blogging schedule, I thought it was the best way to keep me organised while I'm so busy at university and at my job so I will be posting Tuesdays and Fridays every week and then hopefully depending on my shifts at work a third post varying on which day weekly. I can't guarantee the third post every week but I will be doing my absolute best to stick to posting on Tuesdays and Fridays! This post was set to go up on Tuesday but due to the most stressful week EVER it is going up today and I will have another post up tomorrow.

Anyway sorry for the barrage of information I will get on to what this post is actually about! I have been dying to get my hands on the NYX Soft Matte Lip Creams for so long but I could never find them anywhere! They have been out of stock on the NYX UK website for as long as I can remember, however I had to get a new foundation from Selfridges recently as I find shipping on the NARS website so expensive and they had them in stock on there! I was so happy they had all but two shades stocked I believe, might be a different story now and they were only £5.50 so I thought I'd get two just to see how I liked them and if I wanted to get more. Also I know these are so frequently blogged about however I have wanted them for so long I really wanted to share my thoughts on them with you!

I got mine in the shades Stockholm and Antwerp. I literally had no idea what I was looking for when I selected my shades, I googled some swatches and picked these two but I'm glad I did! I had actually heard Antwerp was very similar to the Collection 2000 Creme Puffs in their shade Fairy Cake, I have this and love the colour so I wanted to try this which is supposedly a lot nicer quality. Stockholm however was a complete stab in the dark, totally random choice and I wanted something more muted as I ALWAYS go for pinks and corals and I am trying to break that habit!

Antwerp is on the left and Stockholm is on the right. These come with a typical doe foot application which I really like for this kind of product as it is easier for me to get a more precise application. Colour wise my favourite is Stockholm I was blown away by how much I loved this shade, I think it is so similar to MAC Velvet Teddy but a little bit more pink, so if you are struggling to get that then this is a nice alternative. Antwerp looks a lot more of a purple pink on this picture however it is a lot more on the coral side, definitely similar to Collection 2000 Fairy Cake as I said before.

I was really impressed by the formula of these, it is difficult to describe as they are a lip cream and not a liquid lipstick however what I will say is that they definitely are so creamy and pigmented which makes application really nice. However as they dry matte I would be careful, when I had them on they didn't dry with any cracks which was good but you could see some of the lines in my lip. Bearing in mind though I tried them on bare lips without a lip balm so a lip balm will help with this. There is also a really nice smell with this product, it is like a hint of vanilla but it isn't too full on and once applied you can't smell it anymore.

I thought I'd test the staying power of these so yesterday when I went to the beach I wore Stockholm and it really impressed me. I was at the beach for a while and I did eat fish and chips (by the way if any of you are ever in Whitby you have to go to The Magpie Cafe for fish and chips, it's a really famous restaurant that also has a takeaway. We got a takeaway and sat by the beach with it and it really is the nicest fish and chips ever) and I also had ice cream and by the end of the day whilst the product had faded I could still see the colour on my lips. So if you are going out for the day and don't plan on stuffing your face too much like me then it will have really good staying power!

I really am so impressed with these, they definitely lived up to the hype that I had heard on them and for £5.50 they are such a good price. Let me know in the comments what you think of them and also any good colour recommendations for a nude shade as I want more!