Birthday Giveaway Winner Announcement

Hi everyone, it's time to announce the winner of my 6th blog birthday giveaway.  So without further ado, HUGE congratulations to (drum roll please) . . . Jessica Connely.
You are now the proud owner of the gorgeous Urban Decay Reloaded eyeshadow palette :-)

I will also let the winner know on the various social media's and I will notify you when I have posted the palette.  Congrats and enjoy!

Don't forget I will also be running a Christmas giveaway, be sure to look out for that and until next time, Stay Happy ♥

Follow my blog with Bloglovin

R.I.P. to the Naked Palette!

Hi everyone, earlier today I found out that the most loved eyeshadow palette around is being laid to rest, yes after 8 long years, the famous Urban Decay Naked Palette is being discontinued!  I couldn't believe it when I heard the news, there were a few rumours going around on Twitter, then I saw it for myself on UDs Instagram.

The Naked palette was the first 'high end' palette I ever bought, about 3 and a half years ago, thanks to so many youtubers recommending it, I have sworn by it ever since and quickly came to love the whole UD range.  I could soon see why everyone raved about it and held it as such a 'holy grail' item in their makeup bags, and now I certainly do too!

I won't waste my time telling you how gorgeous the shades are, how versatile and how perfectly blendable because if you own this palette then you'll already know but if you don't, I suggest you buy it quick and guard it with your life because you will honestly never want to be without it.  Seriously, if there was a fire/earthquake/zombie apocalypse and you could only rescue one of your palettes, this one would be it! :-D

In all seriousness, I am absolutely amazed that Urban Decay have decided to discontinue this palette because it is such an icon and such a loved product and I as will we all, be very sad to see it go.

How long ago did you buy yours and do you still love it?  Let me know in the comments.  Let's all commiserate together and show our love for this beloved product that will be severely missed!

RIP to the dear Naked Palette

Until Next Time Stay Happy ♥

Follow my blog with Bloglovin

Autumn Beauty Wish List 2016

Hi everyone, when I first thought about doing this post I literally only had a couple of items in mind and then I thought well I need more than just a few items but I just couldn't think of anything new that I liked.  Then I started looking around online and realised actually yes there's loads of amazing new products out at the moment and I could have easily added more to this list!  These ones that I've chosen, are more on the high-end side but with Christmas coming up, isn't it the perfect time to start thinking about what to ask Santa for anyway?! :-)

1. Urban Decay's XX Vice Ltd Reloaded palette £43, wow what a mouth-full that is but just look at those shades, there's literally every colour you could ever need in there and the packaging is completely gorgeous!  I am a big fan of UD's eyeshadows, the quality is always perfect - blendable, pigmented and long lasting so I'm guessing these will be equally as great.

2. Urban Decay's Naked Skin Color Correcting Fluid £17.50, again UD why such long names? But honestly I've heard so many good things about these, they come in several different colours including green, lilac and lemon, but I really would like the pink shade, it's supposed to be perfect for eradicating the darkest of under eye bags (and I certainly need help with that!)

3. Kylie Jenner's Birthday Edition Mini Lip Kit (set #1), I was not fussed about these At All, I don't follow 'celebs' and I couldn't give a monkeys who she is (not sorry) but, I saw a youtuber do a review of these liquid lipsticks and I just thought the shades looked gorgeous!  So I got straight online to order them :-)  They were sold out on her webshop and most other places were quite pricey but I found these brand new on ebay for under £10, so I'm happy with that and very much looking forward to them arriving.

4. Kylie Jenner's Creme Eyeshadows, as with the lip kit, I thought these looked beautiful and if you're a regular reader of mine, you'll know how much I love a creme eyeshadow.  Again these were sold out on Kylie's shop but I found these new on ebay for a great price and if you follow me on Instagram, you'll see they arrived a few days ago.  And as soon as the lip kit arrives, expect to see a full review and swatch of everything :-)

5. Benefit's They're Real BIG Sexy Eye Kit £27.50, I was out with one of my friends a few weeks ago and we were having a good look at the Benefit beauty range at our local Debenhams.  I absolutely love the packaging of their products and I couldn't help but get drawn to these new tins, are SO nice.  The beautician showed us the eyeshadows and how the double-colour system works.  The shades are really pretty, very wearable and look very easy to apply with the little sponge too.

6. Tanya Burr's 2016 Beauty Calendar £25, I spotted this on Tanya's new blog post over the weekend and I couldn't get on Superdrug quick enough.  I loved having her calendar last year, the products are so lovely and it's so fun getting a new lipgloss or eyeshadow every couple of days leading up to Christmas.  So I already knew I wanted to get it again this year.  Of course Superdrug was already sold out but since Feelunique were full price and Superdrug had £10 off, I decided to be patient and wait for it to come back in stock.  And thankfully the next day, I had an email to say it was, so I ordered it straight away and it is now waiting for me to go and collect from my local store, I can't wait to get it home and start opening it - c'mon December hurry up!

7. Urban Decay's Moondust palette £35, I have seen this palette with my own eyes and oh my gosh, these eyeshadows are stunning!  They're so shimmery, so glittery and the pigmentation is amazing.  This is most definitely very high on my Xmas list!  Love the name too :-)

8. Soap & Glory's Kick Ass Concealer £10, ok this may not be new but it's definitely worth a mention, plus I really need to get a new one.  The translucent powder in this set is SO good, I literally use it every single time I do my makeup without fail!  But now I've 'hit-pan' and the concealers have started to dry up a bit so I must renew.  It's most definitely one of the best concealers I've ever used, if you don't believe me, have a look at the little review I did a couple of years ago, when it saved me from embarrassing myself on a first date!

9. Sleek Makeup Precious Metals Highlighting palette £9.99, again I've seen so many people rave about this.  If you're looking for a super shimmery, very glamorous highlight then this is the one to get, these shades are so gorgeous, perfect for the upcoming party season!

10. And finally, Benefit's They Real BIG Sexy Lip Kit £25, again this was another of Benefit's new products I spotted while browsing the range.  These lipsticks are so pretty, the packaging, the shades, the tin I just love it and I want it, I need it in my life!!  Ok it's just a lipstick set but definitely something I would be very happy to receive this Christmas :-)

I hope you like this little post and it's given you a few ideas of what to add to your Xmas wish list this year.  And keep a look out over the next two weeks because I'm going to be uploading some very spooky Halloween themed posts for you :-)
Until Next Time Stay Happy ♥

Follow my blog with Bloglovin

What's In My Makeup Bag 2015

Hi everyone, I hope you're all having a great week and enjoying the sun :-)
For this weeks post, I thought I would give you an updated 'What's in My Makeup Bag' post.  I first did this post back in April last year, you can check that out here (ooh that rhymed). But since many of my 'everyday' makeup products have changed and I now have a newer and much nicer makeup bag to keep it all in, I thought it was time to let you have a little sneak-peek again.  So if you'd like to see what makeup items I use regularly, keep on reading :-)

I got this lovely bag a couple of months ago from Primark and I think it was only about £3.  I've been looking for something for a long time that was not only big enough to keep my makeup in but that I could also put my brushes in too, and keep it all separate.  Because, I don't know about you, but whenever I keep my brushes with my makeup, I find they get damaged a lot more easily.

So I was really excited about this bag because it has the two separate zipped sections.  I really like the peachy pink quilted fabric and I love the pretty gold zips and bow too.  It has loads of space inside and for the price, it's great quality, so I think it should last a good long while too.

Ok so on to the makeup

First off, my favourite foundation at the moment is the No.7 Stay Perfect.  The trouble is the bottle is huge and along with everything else I have to fit in the bag, it's just too huge.  So I keep a good usable amount in a little clear cosmetic pot with a screw-top lid.

I've tried several concealers over the past year and I still love the good old Collection Lasting Perfection (who doesn't) but I'm back to my old faithful Soap & Glory Kick Ass, it's truly amazing and I just love the setting powder too, so it's a great all-in-one.  I've even 'hit pan' on the powder, I really do need to get the full size of that, mental note!  On the odd occasion though (especially when the under-eye bags are looking particularly dark), I also use a dab on the Rimmel Wake Me Up.  I find it really nice a creamy and blendable and it lightens the area just enough.  I always use my Real Techniques concealer brush for this as it gives the most flawless look.

My blusher is old, there I've said it.  It's by MUA and to be honest I don't think this actual one is even available anymore and yes, I really do need to throw it away. Ooh no, I apologise, I've just checked and it is still available yeay!  But it is still a bit old.  Anyway, I am the worst at finding new blushers, I recently bought the Max Factor Creme Puff Blusher which was quite well recommended but I really didn't like it I found it left my cheeks looking blotchy!  So I really do need a new one, any suggestions?!

I was never in to doing my eyebrows, I thought what's all the fuss about. . . then I realised!  I honestly never do my makeup now without doing my eyebrows, it makes such a difference to my face.  I love using the Rimmel Brow This Way kit, although I never use the cream part (who does!)  I then finish them off with a swipe of the Rimmel Clear Styling gel to set them.

For my eyeshadow, it really depends what I feel like doing and what time I have to do my makeup!  For a quick look, I just use my old faithful Maybelline Color Tattoo in On and On Bronze but if I have a little more time, I love using my new Collection Eyes Uncovered palette in Nude.  I mentioned this in my Spring Favourites post a while back and I've been loving it ever since.  The colours are so pretty and great for every day, they blend well, they last really well and it's a great small sized palette which amazingly fits in my makeup bag!  It makes me happy :-)  Of course I use my beloved Real Techniques brushes to apply all this and I love my old Revlon eyeshadow brush too.

For my eyeliner, I generally either use my favourite Urban Decay 24/7 liner in Stag that came with the Naked on the Run Palette.  I love this so, so much!  I add a little along the lash line then just smoke it out with my Real Techniques angled blush (how I ever managed without this brush I don't know!)  If I'm running low on time, I just use the same brush with a little of the black eyeshadow in the Collection palette and that usually works great too.

For my mascara, you know how I rave about the Seventeen Doll'd Up which I still love but my newest obsession is my wonderful Urban Decay Perversion mascara, it's just amazing.  Let's put it this way, if I could only ever use one mascara for the rest of my life, it would be this one. . . it's that good!

Ahhh lipsticks how I adore them :-)  Ok so I honestly have so many in my collection that I love wearing, but these little beauties are at the top of the list, the thing is I can never choose between them so I just always keep them in my makeup bag and just use whichever one I feel like when I've done the rest of my makeup.  The Five that I regularly use are S&G Sexy Mother Pucker Lip Lacquer in Charm Offensive, so pretty, lasts ages!  S&G Sexy Mother Pucker Gloss Sticks in Nudists and in Raplumsel, both gorgeous shades and very moisturising!  Maybelline's Color Drama Lipstick in 140 Minimalist, which again lasts a good long while and the shade is really pretty and summery and finally the beautiful Aurora lip gloss by Tanya Burr, so cute and lasts a lot longer than most of my other lip glosses!  I also always add a little E45 lip balm to my lips when I first start doing my makeup, that way it has soaked in and my lips are lovely and soft by the time I finish, ready for a lipstick.  My other life saver is this No.7 Precision lip pencil in Nude, it's a really nice neutral shade and is a great base for all my 'nude' lipsticks and it really helps them last even longer!  :-)

So there we go, that's everything I use regularly and have been enjoying using for a good while now.  I hope you like this post, apologies for it being ridiculously long! :-)  And Until Next Time, Stay Happy ♥

Follow my blog with Bloglovin

My Current Beauty Favourites January - March 2015

Hi everyone, for today's post I thought I'd show you a few of the beauty products that I'm currently loving. . .

To start off with, this Perversion mascara from Urban Decay, I got this in with my Naked on the Run palette recently and I find myself using it all the time.  My favourite mascara (as you may remember because I'm always talking about it), is the Seventeen Doll Lash, which I still love very much, it lengthens my lashes really well and still looks great at the end of a long day, BUT, the Perversion mascara seems to thicken my lashes even more and still lasts really well.  I just love how nice my lashes look when I've used it, so it's fast become my new 'go-to' mascara!

No7 Stay Perfect Foundation - I first got this particular brand of foundation last year in the shade Warm Ivory and even though I used it regularly, I was never 100% happy with it.  It always felt quite heavy and I felt the shade was just a little too dark but as I'd had the digital camera test done to match me with my so-called perfect shade, I thought ok well it must be the right one.  However it wasn't until recently when I went to buy my next bottle, that I told the lady at the No7 counter that I wasn't sure if Warm Ivory was the best colour for me and so she re-did the camera test.  Straight away she said, no your perfect shade is Calico, so that's what I got and wow I am SO much happier with it, it really is the perfect shade for my skin and weirdly enough it doesn't seem to feel as heavy either (maybe it's something to do with that shade or just that bottle, who knows!)

Like everyone on the planet these days, I feel like I'm forever searching for that perfect 'my lips but better' shade of lipstick, but I can honestly say since I bought myself this Soap & Glory Lip Lacquer, which I got in the shade 'Charm Offensive', I feel like I may have actually hit the jackpot!  It is the most perfect rosey/vintage pink type shade that I absolutely love.  I always swore-by Rimmel's Apocolips lacquer in Celestial, which is still one of my all-time favs, especially for the longevity of it but it is slightly more on the yellow/orange side of pink rather than a nice soft rose pink like the Charm Offensive.  I also found that Celestial can look a little thick on my lips which puts me off sometimes, but the Charm Offensive always looks really pretty and natural, and as it's also very long lasting, it's quickly become my new 'lipstick love' :-)  It's a little more on the matt side too, so sometimes I wear it with a gloss over the top, sometimes not but it's nice to have the option.

I also picked up this little wonder on recent visit to Boots, the Max Factor Excess Shimmer cream shadow in the shade Copper.  I first heard about this in Essie Button's Current Drugstore Favourites video and I just thought it looked such a pretty shade and a bit lighter and more shimmery than my old faithful Maybelline Color Tattoo in On & On Bronze.  I couldn't wait to swatch it when I got home and I was really happy to see that the pigmentation was really good, the shimmer was really beautiful and it took a bit of getting off too, so I knew it would last well.  I then used it the following week on my birthday night out and I was really happy with how it looked, just with a little black eyeliner and mascara.  If you like eye-shadows that are long lasting, don't crease and have a nice lot of shimmer, then definitely go and have a look at this one.  The other shades available in the range aren't the best in my opinion, they just don't seem very everyday/usable shades, but maybe that's just me!

I know I've mention this before but oh I just love this gloss, the Tanya Burr Aurora lip gloss, it's just so pretty and wearable.  I love using it alone and over the top of other lip sticks or lacquers.  I would love to invest in some of her other shades but I just never know which ones to go for, there's so many!  I also have Afternoon Tea - which is a really pretty summery peach shade, Heart Skipped A Beat – which is lovely and light for those days you just want a very sheer touch of red shimmer and Smile Dream Sparkle – which again I go to very often but more to use over the top of other lip colours as it's quite sheer but quite sparkly too.

I have talked about this Garnier Micellar Water several times in the past and if you would like to read my full review on it, you can do there here.  But I just thought I'd mention it again because it's something that I use every single time I take my makeup off and it never fails to impress me by doing such a great job and so effortlessly (especially on my part).  I don't have to rub my eyes or keep going over and over the same areas to remove the makeup, it just lifts off as easy and anything.  There's no nasty chemicals or strong scents, which is certainly something I don't like and it always leaves my skin feeling beautiful and soft and cleansed.  And I can honestly say, especially since I've been using this product for nearly a year now, that my skin has most definitely improved since I've been using it, it's not as oily and I get far less blemishes than I used to!  So a winner all round :-)

So have you tried any of these items, what do think?  Or let me know in the comments below, what current beauty favourites you're loving right now and . . .

Until Next Time Stay Happy ♥

Follow my blog with Bloglovin