Thursday 30 June 2016

Thursday Tittle-Tattle #48

'Thursday Tittle Tattle', is a Hope, Freedom, Love blog series that has quickly become home to some of my popular posts. The series is dedicated to breaking news of the beauty world. From time-to-time, Thursday’s blog post will be dedicated to news featuring; beauty and lifestyle news, events, discounts, and even a bit of fashion news thrown in too! This is my favourite time of year in the beauty world, as the focus has moved to summer. This week we’re talking about eco-friendly nail polish, a pretty new collection from Models Own and a new fragrance from YSL. Keep reading for the latest beauty news that has caught my eye this week.



Eco Friendly Nail Polish from Ciate
Here's something completely different for you! The new 'Pure Pots' from Ciate are made with an eco-friendly formula! The formula is made of up to 24% natural-origin ingredients including potato, corn, wheat and manioc and with no toxic baddies. The formula is improved by adding rare Pistacia Resin Oil, which has been proven to heal and strengthen nails. There is also Rose Stem Cell Complex, which nourishes the nails. The new line up features a base coat, top coat and five of Ciate's pretty best-selling shades. Shop the new collection here

A new fragrance from YSL
The brand new scent is named 'Mon Paris' and it's inspired by an 'intense love affair'. It's aim is to urge you to seize the moment, to make the most out of every second, to fall in love with out thinking twice. The Mon Paris perfume is a new expression of love today, inspired by the city of lovers, Paris. The perfume has fruity top notes, a floral heart and a musky base. YSL describe the perfume to be "spell-binding and head-spinning". The notes include Pear, Datura Orchid, White Flowers, Patchouli and White Musk. It's packaged in a gorgeous bottle, which is finished in black lavaliere and rock leather. You can shop the new fragrance from Escentual here

Illamasqua SALE
Right now, Illamasqua are having an amazing summer sale, where you can save up to 50% off the RRP of lots of lovely makeup. The sale isn't just all the old boring products either, there are lots of new releases included! You can pick up the Brow Fluid, Powder Blusher Duos and even the fabulous Vital Palette at bargain prices! Shop the full sale here

New face masks from Vichy
Face masks are having a bit of a 'moment', lots of brands are launching new formulations that they hope will rock our socks over the coming months. The ones that really caught my eye though are the new collection from Vichy. The new face mask collection from Vichy features three masks, designed to help your skin, whatever your concern. The new collection is innovative, creating a range of masks that offer high performance solutions. Naturally, each mask has been created with the famous Vichy Thermal Mineralizing Water. The new masks include the Vichy Quenching Mineral Mask, the Vichy Pore Purifying Clay Mask and the Vichy Double Glow Peel Mask.

Models Own Soft Pop Collection
If you're a big fan of the Models Own Hypergel collection, you'll be pleased to hear that they've added five new pastel/neon shades for the summertime. There is everything you could ever need, from gorgeous mint green, to a bright yellow, to a deep purple hue. The new collection is priced at £4.99 and is available to buy now from the Models Own website

Liz Earle Sheer Skin Tint Bronzing Fluid
Today Liz Earle is launching their brand new Sheer Skin Tint Bronzing Fluid. It's designed to be worn alone or paired with the Liz Earle Sheer Skin Tint, if you need for greater coverage. Much like the original Sheer Skin Tint, the Sheer Skin Tint Bronzing Fluid, offers you a radiant formula, which has been infused with lots of lovely skincare ingredients and supercharged botanicals. The product is buildable, meaning that you can give yourself a subtle glow, or work the formula to a more substantial tan. The new Liz Earle Sheer Skin Tint Bronzing Fluid is priced at £24.50.
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Wednesday 29 June 2016

Rosewater By Laura Geller | Baked Gelato Blush

Remember when I fell in love with the Baked Gelato Swirl Illuminator? Well I'm back with another product from Laura Geller's Baked Gelato line, but this time it's a very pretty blusher. The Baked Gelato Vivid Swirl Blush line from Laura Geller echoes the Illuminator lineup in every way. They come packaged in the sweet white box, the compact is black with a clear lid that lets the beauty of the blusher shine through. There's just something about that swirl on the top that makes my heart melt. It's so simple but I think it's just so sweet - the best bit is that the embossing does not disappear as you use it either! 






The formula of the Baked Gelato Vivid Swirl Blush is very similar to the illuminators too. They have a cream-to powder formula which just feels buttery and soft to the touch. The blushers come in four different shades and there is something for everyone. From pretty peach shades, to dark berry hues. Here I have 'Rosewater', which is a lovely bright pink shade with a rose hue. As I mentioned, the texture of these are very soft and smooth, yet in the pan they are really quite dense. Which really allows you to load up your brush with the pigmentation you desire. I tend to use my Real Techniques Expert Face Brush with these, as you need the dense brush to pick up the pigment and blend out the colour. The colour is buildable and it has some subtle shimmer running through the colour to add a bit of a highlight to the cheeks. 

I simply dab this colour on to the apple of my cheeks, brushing the colour up my cheekbones to add a bit of a contoured finish. The Baked Gelato Vivid Swirl Blush really adds that heavenly spring/summer blush glow to your cheeks. I've got my eye on the shade 'Plumberry' next, which is a deep berry pink. You can pick up the Baked Gelato Vivid Swirl Blush for £21 from Escentual.
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Tuesday 28 June 2016

The Eyes Uncovered Palette From Collection | Nude Rose

In 2014 All About The Eyes Palette by Little Mix took me completely by surprise. I never thought a palette that retails for £3.19 could blow me away - but it did! Last year Collection added three new palettes to their lineup, dubbed the Eyes Uncovered palettes. Together they offered everything you need to create a neutral eye, or something a little more smokey. Fast forward another year and there are now six palettes in the Eyes Uncovered lineup. The latest being 'Nude Rose' which offers a blend of pink and purple hues, perfect for us green-eyed girls! Naturally I had to try one and see how they compared to the one I originally fell in love with.


The Eyes Uncovered palette lineup all come with six pretty eyeshadow shades. They are packaged in a black matte box, which is made of cardboard. There is a clear window on the front which lets the colours show through and you just flip up the lid to access the colours. The front is finished with some pretty gold lettering, which definitely makes it feel like something from a higher end brand. In times gone by, the high street brands have often made packaging which is more garish so that it stands out on the shelves. I'm glad that brands are now keeping it more simple, as I think the sleek black packaging offers something for everyone.

The palette is designed to give you a whole eyeshadow look in one palette. You start by blending the first shade all over the lid, then you add definition with the medium shades to the crease and the centre of the eyelid. For more impact you can then get the darker shades and work them into the outer corner towards the center of the lid. You can even use the darker shades as an eyeliner and along the lower lash line. You can they add the lightest shade to the inner corner and under your brow bone for a quick highlight.

As with the older palettes, the quality of these eyeshadows is really commendable. They are really pigmented and they apply beautifully to the lid. You do get a reasonable amount of fallout, which is pretty common with high street brands. You can obviously get away with it more on the lighter shades, but when you're working with the dark purple, you need to do a bit of clean up with your concealer brush. The eyeshadows don't feel chalky and they are easy to apply and blend. They even last all day when paired with a primer!

I think if you're a bit of an established beauty addict, you're likely to have palettes you'll love more than this. However, for £3.99 you really can't go wrong; it's a great palette to experiment with, or to travel with if you're scared about your more expensive palettes getting broken. All-in-all, whether you're a makeup newcomer or an established beauty addict, this is for you! You can pick one up from Superdrug here





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Monday 27 June 2016

Bargain Beauty at World Duty Free

My favourite part of traveling with work, is the shopping during the trip, which somehow seems acceptable. After going to lots of different airports, I can honestly say we are spoilt by World Duty Free here in the UK. I've been to some pretty big airports in other countries, where the shopping opportunities just don't compare. I always find that World Duty Free have a really good selection of products (all available at the fabulous tax-free prices) but also some gorgeous travel exclusives, which you can't get anywhere else. It was really hard to hide my excitement when this box of goodies arrived at my door, it was filled to the brim with some of World Duty Free's new and exciting products. Let's take a look inside and see if I can inspire your future shopping trips.


I always check out the L'Oreal stand at Heathrow T5, as they have an amazing selection of products. My favourite products are usually the little gift boxes that they put together, they offer great value for money, but also make good gifts too! The Festival Fun Gift Box* gives you everything you need to create a pretty festival look. The gift set comes in a sleek white box, which includes a picture of the look on one side and a picture of the contents on the other. Inside the box you get a really pretty pink pouch, which I'm going to be putting in my handbag! Inside the pouch you get the Mega Volume Miss Hippie Mascara, the Infallible Eyeliner in Black and the Infallible Mega Gloss in a pretty pink colour.




Fragrance has always been the 'popular' item to pick up in the airport, the notoriously expensive perfumes are eagerly snapped up at tax-free prices. Whilst I'm personally unlikely to pick up a full-sized bottle of perfume, I love the little sets of minis. I'm always drawn to the mini perfume sets by Marc Jacobs and Hugo Boss, but I've never considered Calvin Klein. The Calvin Klein Mini Set* features five perfumes, which are all individually boxed and packaged in replicas of their full sized bottles. It makes them perfect for travel, but also great for little gifts too!



Moving on to high end makeup, we have YSL. The airport is a great way to test and try lots of the latest beauty products, I love that you can see lots of different brands all in one place. Of course you can also get a significant saving on the normal retail price. The first YSL product I was sent to try is the Couture Palette* in the shade Lumieres Majorelle. It's definitely not the normal shade combinations I'd go for, but it features lots of blue hues which ooze summer. The packaging is absolutely stunning too, it feels luxurious before you even open the box. The second product is this stunning Night Escape Nail Polish* from the brand new Summer Couture Collection. The Night Escape polish is inspired by the night sky, with lots of sparkles, captured in a deep metallic blue. YSL say that the polish has a lasting formula protects nails from chipping and cracking. 

I think I've saved the most exciting product to last, the Lancome Juicy Shaker*! These new products from Lancome have had a lot of hype but it's well deserved. You simply shake the cute cocktail shaped bottle, to blend the bi phased formula and then dab the beautiful lip gloss on to your lips. They make your lips look plump, whilst nourishing the lips with sweet almond oil, omega 3 and cranberry oil. I have the shade Berry Tale, which is a gorgeous and natural link hue. It's a dream to apply and the colour is natural enough, even for a lipstick-hater like me!




So there you have it, some beautiful and exciting makeup products which are all available tax-free from World Duty Free, at all of the wonderful UK airports. If you've been on holiday recently, I'd love to hear about anything you bought in the airport. If you're going away soon, I'd love to hear about the shopping you have planned. Why not leave me a comment below? If you're planning a trip, you can actually shop before you travel! You simply select your favourite products on the World Duty Free website and pick them up at the airport
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Friday 24 June 2016

Brushes from Sigma Beauty

I really feel like Sigma Beauty needs no introduction in the beauty world. The brand was only founded in 2009 and they’ve quickly become a huge online international success. In December 2012, Sigma Beauty opened their first ever store, today over 250 retailers share in their success in over 70 countries. They sell an incredible range of makeup brushes, which I feel most people have heard of, but I did not realise that they stocked makeup too! I’ve recently been testing lots of products and I’ll be sharing my thoughts in the coming weeks. Today I’m here to share three brushes I’ve been testing and share my thoughts.



The Sigma Beauty brush collection is huge, in fact there are over 130 different product combinations on their website. The first brush I’ve been testing is the 3DHD Kabuki Brush* is unlike anything I’ve ever seen before. It’s designed to be a multi-purpose make up applicator, designed and engineered to fit in all the contours of your face. You can see in the picture that it’s cut in a very interesting shape and it is densely packed together. This makes it perfect for liquid, cream and powder, the brush glides around your nose, eyes and cheeks to create a finish without ‘edges’.

The second brush I’ve been testing is the E38 Diffused Crease Brush*, which you can probably tell is Sigma’s version of a MAC 217. It’s a fluffy brush that has been cut so it is round and domed. It’s created with powder products in mind, which makes it fantastic at blending eyeshadow. It fits perfectly into the crease and lets you blend with ease.

The last brush I’ve been testing is the E54 Medium Sweeper Brush* has become my favourite brush for packing on eyeshadow. It’s a wide dense brush, which means it’s really easy to put on your base shades. It’s quite small in size, which means you can be very precise and exact with your application. It’s a great brush to use if you’re in a rush in the morning! It works really well with powder products, but it’s also designed for cream products too.

All of the Sigma Beauty brushes are available in five different colour ways, they are made with SigmaTech® Fibers and they are cruelty free. Sigma Beauty’s signature ‘Sigmax’ fibres are naturally antibacterial and are hypoallergenic. What is really interesting is that they also come with a free two-year warranty on brushes! Which means that in the likely event that you receive a defective product, Sigma will give you a replacement. You can shop the brushes on the Sigma Beauty website and I’m going to be back with more Sigma Beauty reviews very soon!
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Thursday 23 June 2016

Thursday Tittle-Tattle #47

'Thursday Tittle Tattle', is a Hope, Freedom, Love blog series that has quickly become home to some of my popular posts. The series is dedicated to breaking news of the beauty world. From time-to-time, Thursday’s blog post will be dedicated to news featuring; beauty and lifestyle news, events, discounts, and even a bit of fashion news thrown in too! This is my favourite time of year in the beauty world, as the focus has moved to spring. This week we’re talking about some stunning new palettes and a super cute new LUNA mini. Keep reading for the latest beauty news that has caught my eye this week.





New Glow Kit from Anastasia Beverley Hills
I already have one Glow Kit from ABH and now they've gone and released a new shade. It was hard to pick between two sets, let alone three! The palettes contain four highlighters which contain four stunning highlighter shades. The brand new ‘Sun Dipped’ palette includes ‘Bronzed’ (warm amber with a copper-bronze fleck), ‘Tourmaline’ (warm taupe with a rose gold finish), ‘Moonstone’ (radiant quartz with a pearl finish) and ‘Summer’ (luminous sand with a white gold shimmer). Sun Dipped retails for £39 and you can pick it from Cult BeautyI'm still trying to convince myself I don't need it... 

bareMinerals Nature of Nudes eyeshadow palette
I'm always looking for the next eyeshadow palette and this week I'm obsessed with this badboy from bareMinerals. The Nature of Nudes Palette features 14 shades to give you the perfect everyday eyeshadow palette. There is an assortment of neutral colours, which bareMinerals say are well pigmented, for easy and intense colour. Shimmer and matte eyeshadows are included and bareMinerals say they blends seamlessly and lasts for up to 12 hours. The palette retails for £35 and you can pick it up from Escentual

FOREO partners with GreenWave and SEA LIFE Trust
The new LUNA mini 2 Save the Sea Special Edition facial cleansing brush will support ocean conservation efforts. Due to the tremendous success of the 2015 campaign, FOREO is excited to announce a Save the Sea “2.0” campaign for 2016 featuring the LUNA mini 2. The sea, the beach and water are all-encompassing when it comes to summer – these are natural gifts that FOREO believes are worth preserving and fighting for. To celebrate the collaboration, the brush has been given a aquamarine makeover, exclusively featuring a family of two white turtles. The LUNA mini 2 promises clearer, brighter and healthier-looking skin in just 3 days. Its deep, yet gentle routine feels like a mini-facial with every use, as pores are cleansed of blemish-causing impurities. The LUNA mini 2 Save the Sea Special Edition will be available for £99 at foreo.com from July 1, 2016.

The Perfect Me, Perfect Hue Eye & Cheek Palette from Stila now available
I’m obsessed with the new Perfect Me, Perfect Hue Eye & Cheek Palettes from Stila. The palettes are a collection of chic eye and cheek palettes with shades curated by pro makeup artists to complement your skintone. The easy-to-use palettes are filled with neutral, one-swipe eye and cheek colours. They house five eye shadows and two blushes in matte, shimmer, and pearl finishes. They’re customizable to create the look or looks you want. They are available from Cult Beauty for £28 each. There is also a brand new Correct & Conceal palette which comes in a beautiful marbled palette. The palette has everything you need to help neutralize imperfections and brighten dull skin tones. There are five sheer to medium cream colour correctors and two tinted setting powders. This palette is also available from Cult Beauty for £32. The products have shot to the top of my wish list, I need to try them!

Benefit Brow Collection available NOW
The full brow collection brow includes 13 products in lots of different shades. The new brow collection also has been repackaged in shiny silver packaging. The new Benefit Brow Collection features: Gimme Brow, Goof Proof Pencil, Precisely My Brow Pencil, Brow Zings, BrowVo! Conditioning Primer, Ka-Brow!3D BrowTones, Ready, Set, Brow!, High Brow, High Brow Glow, Grooming Tweezer & Brush, Angled Brow Brush & Spoolie and the All Purpose Sharpener. I’ve been testing the Goof Proof Pencil and I’m loving it so far!

Seche Vive Instant Gel Effect Top Coat
Producers of my favourite top coat, Seche, have just announced their Seche Vive Instant Gel Effect Top Coat. The new top coat is designed to be fast drying, whilst giving you the effect of a glossy gel manicure, without LEDs. When you're finished with your manicure, simply remove the top coat with any acetone or non-acetone nail polish remover. Pick up the new Seche Vive Instant Gel Effect Top Coat at superdrug.com, priced at £9.99.
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Wednesday 22 June 2016

Believe The Hype | L'oreal Cushion Foundation

It's really rare that I jump on a foundation hype, but there was something about the Nude Magique Cushion Foundation that I could not ignore. The whole beauty world has been raving about this cushion foundation (and it's high end sister) and I just needed to test it for myself. I'm here to tell you whether you should believe the hype (although the title has probably already given you a hint)...





The 
Nude Magique Cushion Foundation takes everything we know about traditional foundation and turns it on his head. The liquid revolutionary foundation features a cushion, which is drenched in the foundation. The Nude Magique Cushion Foundation comes packaged in a beautiful metallic purple compact, you flip the lid to find a sponge and then you lift the second lid to reveal the cushion. L'oreal recommend taking the sponge inside the compact and tapping the foundation onto the skin. As with most freebie brushes and sponges, I much preferred applying the foundation with my brush collection.

What is really nice about this foundation, is that the coverage really is buildable, take a little bit on a brush for a sheer luminous finish, or apply extra layers for a medium coverage. The foundation blends into skin really nicely, giving your skin a luminous glow, it looks incredibly natural and pretty. It does not seperate on my skin and it lasts really really too. 

The Nude Magique Cushion Foundation is available in seven different shades, which are currently all quite light, so I hope they widen up the shades in the near future. The formulation is fragrance free and it is enriched with SPF 25, which gives you a little bit of protection if you happen to be caught in the sun! It's currently unknown how long this new formulation will last, but L'oreal do say that you can remove the cushion from the compact and flip over to the reverse side for more product. The Nude Magique Cushion Foundation is available now, priced at £14.99



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Tuesday 21 June 2016

Caving To My Wish List | Hourglass Exposure Palette

If you spotted the Hourglass Modernist Exposure palette in my June Favourites, you might be pleased to see that I’m back to give you the full low down on this beautiful palette. This is one of those times where you really want something, but you resist for months, before eventually caving. I held off buying this palette for a lot of reasons. First of all, it’s really quite pricey, it retails for £55 for a palette that is actually fairly small. Secondly, it gets some really mixed reviews, I happen to be a huge Hourglass fan and I couldn’t bare the idea of being disappointed by a really expensive product.




However the damage was eventually done, as Space NK had one of their special discount codes and I had some points to spend – so the £55 palette become a lot cheaper. Luckily, I’m not sat here kicking myself about wasting my money; instead I’m kicking myself that I did not go out and buy this palette sooner! The palette comes packaged in the usual, irresistible Hourglass packaging, it feels luxurious from the moment it arrives at your door. After the fast unboxing process, a pretty palette greets you and you lift the lid to reveal a large mirror, plus five beautiful eyeshadows.

The Hourglass Modernist Eyeshadow Palettes come in seven different shade combinations. So no matter what your eyeshadow preferences are, you’re bound to find something you love. I opted for the shade ‘Exposure’, which of course houses five beautiful shades that all follow a purple hue theme. I’m aware that the shades all being in one pan divides the beauty fans of the world, but I’m personally in awe. I truly think it looks beautiful and the seamless colour transitions fill me with eyeshadow inspiration. 

Lets talk about the important stuff - the formulation! The eyeshadows are created using a multi-press compression technique, which creates that beautiful wave effect in the palette. The five eyeshadows in my palette are richly pigmented; they give some serious colour pay off, without fallout on your brush or skin. The shades vary in formulation, some are matte, some are pearlescent and some are shimmer, yet they all perform impeccably. You can use each of the shades on their own, or you can mix and create an array of eye looks.

You cannot deny that this palette is pricey, but I personally think it’s worth every penny. I know that I’m going to be adding some of the other shade combinations to my wish list ASAP! You can pick up the Hourglass Exposure Eyeshadow Palette from John Lewis for £55.
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Monday 20 June 2016

My Ultimate Holiday Essentials

I’ve been planning this blog post for quite a while, as I wanted to include all the best beauty products, to make your holiday or city break go without a hitch! There are so many products out there, but many of these are my tried and tested solutions, to all the problems that crop up on holiday. Here’s how to keep your skin looking fresh, your nails chip-free and your toiletry bag as light as possible! 




Let’s kick off with skincare and talk about some of my favourite holiday skincare products. I’ve made no secret about my excitement that Serozinc, is now available in a travel friendly form. The combination of La Roche-Posay’s ultra-soothing thermal spring water, healing zinc sulphate and astringent sodium chloride in Serozinc, keeps my skin blemish and oil free in hot climates. I’ve always taken this away with me when I travel, so I’m really excited that I can now pack the mini 50ml bottle! If you missed my recent SPF post, I highly recommend checking it out. It gives you tons of different SPF suggestions and answers all your FAQs. However, I wanted to give a quick mention to the Vichy Ideal Soleil After Sun* which is very new to the market, but it sounds incredible. It’s designed to look after your skin after sun exposure, giving you a burst of hydration for 48 hours. After you’ve been in the sun you simply spritz this oil on in the shower and then rinse it off. It soothes any tightness and dryness in the skin, giving you an instant refresh. If you’re not showering you can just apply it to your dry skin, so it’s an amazing multi-purpose product. 




When it comes to the perfect holiday base, there are two that I’m currently obsessed with. The first one is the ILIA Radiant Beauty Balm* (available at Fenwick of Bond Street), which is the one I turn to when I want a glowing base. It’s a cream formula, which is packed with subtle gold pearl pigments, which diffuse light and give you fresh, youthful appearance. It gives you such a lovely radiant finish on the skin and it’s enhanced with a high-grade, SPF 20 sunscreen, which offers natural UVA and UVB protection.  For something more heavy duty I turn to the  Mattifying Infallible Foundation from L’Oreal. This stuff kept my base looking gorgeous in 40-degree heat and I’ll be turning to it again this year. As you apply the foundation, you quickly see that a little goes a long way, it’s very thick and it blends effortlessly. It leaves behind a flawless coverage, which is completely matte. If you find washing makeup brushes on holiday a pain, but you like to keep your brushes clean, you need to get your hands on the Ecotools Brush Cleansing Wipes*. They take all the pain out of spot washing your brushes, the wipes are soaked in cleanser and they take off makeup with ease. 




If you’ve not already guessed, I’m a huge fan of miniature products. I have a huge drawer full of mini products that I keep for when I travel. The KORRES HOLIDAY IN GREECE* travel kit has been around for a while, but it has recently had a makeover! The set is designed to give you all your daily essentials in miniature form, meaning they are perfect for your hand luggage! As the name suggests, the name is inspired by Greece and the beautiful summer months. Inside the box you get five 40ml bottles of these fabulous KORRES products; the Aloe and Ditanny Shampoo, Basil Lemon Showergel, Basil Lemon Body Milk, Guava Showergel and the Guava Body Butter.

One of the biggest pains on holiday (for me anyway) is keeping my nails looking fresh and chip-free. If you want to keep your nails looking fresh all holiday, you should give the Seche Vite Fast Dry Top Coat* a whirl. It’s been my favourite top coat now for a while as it gives a beautiful glossy finish. It also keeps your manicure looking good for ages, plus if you reapply the Seche Vite top coat every few days, it will make your manicure last twice as long. It even dries really quickly, which means you don’t have to spend ages painting your nails! I love travelling with Mavala polishes as they are so tiny, so they do not take up loads of room in your suitcase. They’ve recently announced the Sundream Collection* which has been created for Summer 2016. The new collection has everything from bold shades to pastels and nudes. All Mavala nail polishes are free from harmful ingredients such as parabens and formaldehyde. Each of the Mavala Sundream nail polishes retail for £4.95, so they are budget friendly too! 




The last products I want to talk about are haircare related! Dry shampoo is my best friend on holiday, as it tends to get greasy much quicker than normal. COLAB announced the launch of its Active Sheer + Invisible Dry Shampoo* and I’m obsessed with it! The new formulation is designed to refresh, protect and condition your hair, at any time of the day. What makes it really special for holidays, is the Moringa Seed Extract included in the formula, which protects against sun damage and city pollution. You just spritz it into your hair and it brings it back to life, with any residue. The bumble & bumble Curl Pre-Style / Re-Style Primer has been a favourite of mine for years and it’s recently been reformulated. It’s perfect if (like me) you have curly year, you spray it on your hair on it's second day (or throughout the day if you have an important evening event) and it springs your curls back to life. It works really well in heat and the humidity, giving you pretty curls that stay in place all day! 

So there you have it, products to keep your skin looking fresh, your base looking perfect, your toiletry bag feeling light, your nails chip-free and your hair full of volume!
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Friday 17 June 2016

Cherry Blossom from The Library of Fragrance

My love affair with The Library of Fragrance shows no real signs of slowing down. The more I try, the more I love! So you can imagine my excitement when I spotted some scents from The Library of Fragrance at discount prices in TK Maxx. I quickly had three in my basket, but in the end I took the sensible road and just left with one; Cherry Blossom.

I can never resist telling The Library of Fragrance story, as they’ve come a long way since 1996. The Library of Fragrance started life with just three scents (Dirt, Grass and Tomato) and now they have over 300! A smaller collection of these luscious scents are available in the UK from Boots and there's a larger selection available here in the UK via the The Library of Fragrance website. The scents are made to be simple and uncomplicated. They aim to capture one single scent at a time and they made to be subtle additions to our perfume wardrobe. The premise of the business is to create scents that surround us all day every day, but are often under appreciated. 






The Cherry Blossom scent is my kind of heaven and it’s inspired of course by the cherry blossom, Japan’s unofficial national flower. The Cherry Blossom takes a very special position in Japanese culture and I happen to have a couple of trees in my front garden. The cherry tree actually comes in loads of different varieties and what is special (and sad) about them, is that they only bloom for a couple of days in spring. In my opinion, there isn’t much prettier than a blossoming cherry tree, you really have to appreciate it, as it does not last long! The scent itself is a very soft scent, which has a subtle floral undertone with a hint of cherry. It’s honestly so pretty and its such a perfect scent for springtime.

The Library of Fragrance scents are designed to be layered, so you can create something really unique. I’ve been mixing it with ‘Peach’ to add that extra fruity dimension. I also love the suggestion from The Library of Fragrance of mixing it with Fresh Laundry for a ‘clean’ note. Do you know the best bit of all this? They only retail for £15 each, which is a fraction of the price of a lot of fragrances on the market. You can test these fragrances in Boots stores, each one will bring back a certain memory or remind you of your favourite things. Meanwhile, you can check out the range on the Boots website
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Thursday 16 June 2016

Thursday Tittle-Tattle #46

'Thursday Tittle Tattle', is a Hope, Freedom, Love blog series that has quickly become home to some of my popular posts. The series is dedicated to breaking news of the beauty world. From time-to-time, Thursday’s blog post will be dedicated to news featuring; beauty and lifestyle news, events, discounts, and even a bit of fashion news thrown in too! This is my favourite time of year in the beauty world, as the focus has moved to spring. This week we’re talking about some new summer collections and a pretty new polish collection from Essie. Keep reading for the latest beauty news that has caught my eye this week.



Travel friendly palette from NARS
NARS say the new 413 BLKR Cheek & Lip Palette is “Downtown inspired. Boldness required”. The compact palette has three blusher shades, the famous Laguna bronzer and one of the fabulous Velvet Matte Lip Pencils. The blusher shades include the 413 BLKR Blush, Blasphemy Blush, Ferocious Blush and the forementioned Laguna Bronzing Powder, plus the 413 BLKR Velvet Matte Lip Pencil. The palette is limited edition and you can by it online & at NARS Boutiques for £39.

The new Sunset Pink Collection by Bobbi Brown Cosmetics
The new collection launches in at Selfridges in July and features new warm shades for eyes plus some new sheer tints of colour for lips and cheeks. However my favourite item is the brand new Limited Edition Highlighting Powder, which retails at £34 and will be available in three shades; Telluride, Sunset Glow and Afternoon Glow. There are four new shades of the Limited Edition Long-Wear Gel Eyeliner, four new shades of the Limited Edition Long-Wear Cream Shadow, four new shades of the Limited Edition Tube Tint and three shades of the Limited Edition Sheer Color Cheek Tint.

Essie Gel Couture 
A couple of weeks ago Essie announced their brand new collection. The 25-shade Gel Couture collection, offers a gel-like formula for long-lasting wear, without any harsh removal process. Most notable is the brand new bottle design and the new swirled brush, which offers full coverage. The colours have a built in base coat and the range has everything you need from nudes, to bring pinks. The new range is available now at Superdrug, Boots and Debenhams. 

New brow collection from Benefit
You would have to be living under a rock to miss the news of Benefit’s new Brow Collection, which launches next week. The full brow collection brow includes 13 products in lots of different shades. The new brow collection also has been repackaged in shiny silver packaging. The new Benefit Brow Collection features: Gimme Brow, Goof Proof Pencil, Precisely, My Brow Pencil, Brow Zings, BrowVo! Conditioning Primer, Ka-Brow!3D BrowTones, Ready, Set, Brow!, High Brow, High Brow Glow, Grooming Tweezer & Brush, Angled Brow Brush & Spoolie and the All Purpose Sharpener. I’ve been testing the Goof Proof Pencil and I’m loving it so far!

Summer Colour Collection from SUQQU
SUQQU has recently announced their first UK exclusive Summer Colour Collection. The collection is inspired by ancient Japanese playful colour. The collection includes two Blend Colour Eyeshadow Palettes, which retail for £45. The colours are inspired by the colours of nature in summer and each palette has three matte shades with one sheer, shimmering shade. There are also two new shades of the Creamy Glow Lipstick Moist and the Mascara Extra Volume.
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Wednesday 15 June 2016

The New Maybelline Bricks Bronzer | Summer Ready

I was recently sent a huge parcel from Maybelline, which was filled to the brim with exciting new Maybelline releases. One thing that immediately caught my eye is the Maybelline Bricks Bronzer. I'm completely obsessed with testing contouring products and I think it's great that the high street is playing in this area. 

The Maybelline Bricks Bronzer comes packaged in a sleek black compact, with a clear lid. The palette is split in two halves, in one half we have a matte bronzer shade, on the other we have the 'bricks' which is made up of three different highlighting shades. Together this palette is designed to give you everything you need to create a bronzed, contoured look. The double palette makes it very handy for travel, you have your bronzer and highlighter all in one handy place. 



When you open the palette it definitely has a perfumed smell to it, it's not chocolate or sweet, instead it has quite a floral scent. The bronzer is nicely pigmented, it's not too pigmented that it's hard to work with, but so sheer that contouring takes a age. The shade is a nice warm hue, which is potentially a little bit orange for my light skin which has a pink undertone. It's really warm shade, which really adds a nice warmth to the skin. In the pan, the highlighters look quite cool-toned and pink, however when you apply it to the skin it's a very gold shade, which is quite unique to my my collection. 

In my opinion this palette is made for holidays, both shades have a lovely golden hue, which will look incredible in the sun or on the beach. When you consider that the Maybelline Bricks Bronzer* only costs £7.99, it's a really impressive product. When I went to my local Boots at the weekend it was completely sold out, so it's obviously been very popular already and I'm really not surprised. 




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Tuesday 14 June 2016

Pulsaderm Buddy | The Travel Friendly Face Brush

I think it’s safe to say that the idea of ‘glowing’ skin isn’t leaving the beauty world anytime soon. A great way to really get strobing off to a good start, is to introduce it to your skincare. The Pulsaderm Buddy* only recently came into my life, but I’m already really impressed.







I tend to use a face brush three times a week, I find it to be an essential part of my skincare routine. It gives my skin a real deep clean, but also an exfoliation to keep blackheads and bumpy skin at bay. The only problem I've really had in the past is traveling with these devices. They tend to be quite big and bulky, which is why I was so drawn to the
 Pulsaderm BuddyPulsaderm is a skincare brand who actually offer a whole range of innovative skincare devices, but the Pulsaderm Buddy is a sonic face brush which is actually super small. So small in fact, that it fits into the palm of your hand and your smallest of wash bags.

The Pulsaderm Buddy comes packaged in a silver bag, which easy contains the brush, charger, two brush heads and your favourite cleaser. The brush has two speeds 'normal' and 'high' - Pulsaderm reccomend using normal for sensitive or regular skin and high for cleansing tougher skin on your body. The brush heads also come in two kinds; regular and sensitive, so you just pick which one suits your skin type. When the brush arrives you just need to give it a quick charge, which you can do via its handy USB cable.

The Pulsaderm Buddy uses sonic pulsation technology, instead of more common oscillating or rotating brushes. The sonic pulsation technology applies sonic-micropulses to gently break away makeup, dirt and oil. Its great for cleanses your skin and really giving the skin a healthy glow. Pulsaderm say that their method of cleansing makes it gentle enough to be used daily. The Pulsaderm Buddy is made with a ergonomically designed handle, which makes using it really simple and quick. It just has one button which turns the brush on and off, which means its easy to use even when you're tired (or have had too much to drink)! The brush itself is waterproof, which means you can use it in the shower and the Concave Brush Head makes it easy to cleanse hard to reach contours around your nose, eyes and mouth.

What I love about the Pulsaderm Buddy is that it's obvious that it's been designed with so much thought and care to the little details. It's really easy to use, you don't need to charge it very often and it travels really well. Which makes it perfect for people who travel a lot (like me)! You can pick up the Pulsaderm Buddy from M&S and it retails for £70.
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Monday 13 June 2016

It Really Is Goof Proof | Benefit Brow Collection

When I spotted the Goof Proof Brow Pencil in Elle Magazine earlier this month, I snapped it straight up. The excitement as I walked through the supermarket was almost too much and I ripped open the magazine as soon as I got back to my desk. I was quite shocked to find that the free sample in Elle Magazine was a really generous size and even came in replica packaging as it's full sized sister. So it's safe to say I was really excited to get testing. 




Benefit's Goof Proof Pencil is exactly what it says on the tin, it's a bold claim, but Benefit say that this is the easiest brow filling and shaping pencil yet! The Goof Proof Brow Pencil comes in six different shades, I have shade two which is actually a great match for my brunette brows. I have to admit that I was actually being quite hard on this product, I thought that if you're going to claim to be Goof Proof, you better deliver! 

The Goof Proof Brow Pencil comes packaged in a pretty pink and silver box. The box is decorated with a magician (the theme for the whole collection) and some before/after pictures. The pencil too comes in silver packaging, with the name of the product marked on the side in pink letters. I'm obsessed with the lid of the pencil, the shape is so unique and different to anything else I have in my collection.

You pop the spectacular lid off the top of the pencil and you you're greeted with a non-sharpen pencil. You can see by the picture below that the pencil is a diamond shape, which is slightly skinner on the top than the bottom. This means you have a thicker end to do the bulk of your brow and a skinny tip to do some more precise work. The pencil itself is quite soft and it glides on to your brows with ease. Which makes filling in your brows really fast and simple, I was really impressed with how well the shape of the pencil fits my brows. I've yet to make a mistake with this pencil and I've yet to overfill them either, so all in all I'm impressed! 

The full sized version of this pencil comes with a spoolie-brush and the pencil includes a 12-hour waterproof formulation. This pencil launches next Thursday and I'm definitely picking up the full sized version, I want to keep this for my handbag or for travelling. The Goof Proof Brow Pencil retails for £18.50.




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Friday 10 June 2016

The Tartelette Tease Palette

If you missed my recently post on the Rainforest of the Sea collection from Tarte, you might be a little unaware of my obsession with Tarte Cosmetics. In short, it's becoming a little bit of a problem for my bank balance, but the good news is that I love everything! Some of my favourite products from Tarte have been the eyeshadow palettes, so when I spotted the Tartelette Tease Palette, I needed to add it to my collection. 


There is something I love about little tiny palettes! I'm completely obsessed with palettes of all sizes, but I love finding a small palette which does not take up loads of space in my travel makeup bag! The Tartelette Tease Palette is a small palette, a little bigger than a your standard credit card. It's made of cardboard which closes with a magnet, as you lift the lid you are greeted by six pretty shadows and a mirror. 

The petite palette has different shades, which can be used alone, but have also been organised into two seperate looks. Along the top we have Whisper (which is a very light pink), Crush (which is a taupe shimmer shade) and Heartbreaker (which is a dark matte brown). Along the top we have Wink (which is a light matte mauve), First Kiss (which is a pretty mauve shimmer) and BFF (which is a dark matte plum). The palette is designed to be a pocked-sized version of the famous Tartelette palette. They use the same lovely formula, which is clay-infused, pigmented and have great blendability.

The only difference I have noticed compared to have Tarte eyeshadows I've tried, is that these are scented to smell like chocolate. It's something that I know a lot of people will LOVE but for me, scented eyeshadows just don't do it for me. That aside, I do think this is a beautiful palette and it's one that will definitely be coming on trips with me. I love that there are two different complete looks in this palette, one that is brown and neutral, plus one which satisfies my purple eyeshadow craving. The palette retails for a tiny $21 and it's available from Sephora and the Tarte Cosmetics website.
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Thursday 9 June 2016

Thursday Tittle-Tattle #45

'Thursday Tittle Tattle', is a Hope, Freedom, Love blog series that has quickly become home to some of my popular posts. The series is dedicated to breaking news of the beauty world. From time-to-time, Thursday’s blog post will be dedicated to news featuring; beauty and lifestyle news, events, discounts, and even a bit of fashion news thrown in too! This is my favourite time of year in the beauty world, as the focus has moved to spring. This week we’re talking about a new summer scent from Rituals and lots of new highlighting goodies. Keep reading for the latest beauty news that has caught my eye this week.



BECCA Cosmetics & Jaclyn Hill collaborate again
I think you would have to have been living under a rock to miss the commotion at BECCA. Just in case you have missed it, BECCA have released four new products with Jaclyn Hill, two of which will be available at SpaceNK very soon! I’ve already placed my order for the brand new Champagne Collection Face Palette (£48), which includes two highlighters, and three blush shades. The highlighters include the foamous Champagne Pop highlighter and the brand new Prosecco Pop. The blusher shades include Amaretto, Pamplemousse and Rosé Spritz. The official launch date is June 21st, but you can preorder now. 

Genuine Glow collection from Estée Lauder 
The strobing craze continues this week, with the announcement of the Genuine Glow collection from Estée Lauder. The new collection includes new a whole new host of hybrid products, combining makeup and skincare in lovely products. The collection includes the Genuine Glow Priming Moisture Balm (£30), which is a lightweight, oil free balm to perfect, prime and hydrate. There is also the Genuine Glow Priming Moisture Eye Balm, Blushing Créme Lips & Cheeks (which are nourishing hyaluronic acid moisturisers in two shades), plus the Eyelighting Créme Eyes & Face (an enhancing iridescent colour for your eyes) and finally the Reviving Oil Lip Tint. All the products will be launched next month! 

New serum from Neal’s Yard
I’m a huge fan of Neal’s Yard, I’ve used their roll-on calming oils for years and they are a staple in my handbag. So I’m pretty excited by the news that they are launching a new serum. The brand new Oil Free Hydrating Facial Serum, is not actually out until July, so we have a little bit of waiting to do. The new serum is made with oily skin in mind, combining willow herb and organic rose. It’s a lightweight serum that aims to hydrate, mattify, smooth and keep the skin shine free.





M&S Summer Beauty Box
M&S are back again with a really exciting beauty box! The beauty box will be available this June to celebrate the Queen’s Official Birthday! To get your hands on one, you just have to spend £40 on M&S Beauty, Clothing or Home and then purchase the M&S Summer Beauty Box for just £10. The box is filled to the brim with beauty treats worth over £120! The box is designed to leave you looking and feeling your very best! The products inside include (take a deep breath!); Swell Ultimate Protect & Renew Serum, Rodial Dragon’s Blood Hyaluronic Tonic, Philip Kingsley Citrus Sunshine Swimcap, Pure Instant Radiance Hot Cloth Cleanser, REN Instant Firming Beauty Shot, Island Escape Eau de Toilette, Nuxe Huile Prodigieuse, Ultrasun Face SPF30, Pur Correcting Primer Illuminate & Glow, M&S Sun Smart Sun Lotion SPF30, Leighton Denny Crystal Finish Quick Dry Top Coat, Stila Lip Glaze Raspberry, Nails Inc Gel One Coat Nail Polish and finally the Percy & Reed Volumising No Oil Oil! The box is available June 9-13th at M&S stores and online here.

Limited edition summer collection from Rituals
The new summer collection is the Ritual of Karma by Rituals Cosmetics. It’s inspired by ancient Hindu belief, where living with good intent attracts good karma. “Say good words, think good thoughts, do good deeds and if you stick to that, it will return to you in the same positive way”.  The new collection includes products for both the body and the home. The scent includes white lotus and bergamot.  The new products include; the Foaming Shower Gel, the Shower Oil, the Shimmering Body Cream, the Bed & Body Mist, a scented candle and the home fragrance sticks. 

Bourjois announce summer collection 
As usual Bourjois have announced a very exciting summer collection, which is packed full of products. For me the most exciting item is the Contouring Illusion Bronzer & Highlighter, which features their famous bronzer, paired with a lovely highlight. It will retail for £7.99, which I think is a bargain for Bourjois. They’ve also announced lots of tropical-inspired products, which have been packaged in a tropical flower print. There is a repackaged Delice De Poudre Bronzing Powder, new Contour Waterproof Eye Pencils and a Limited Edition Tropical Festival Volume Clubbing Mascara. Plus a new shades of the Color Boost Lip Crayon and two new shades of the famous 1 Seconde Nail Polish. All these new products will be available on June 8th.
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Wednesday 8 June 2016

A Non-Drying Foaming Cleanser By La Roche-Posay

In years gone by, we were often advised to use a foaming cleanser on oily skin. In my teenage years I really struggled with oily, greasy skin, yet foaming cleansers destroyed my skin. They were always too strong and too drying, stripping my skin with the nutrients it desperately needed. As we know, skincare has moved leaps and bounds in the last ten years and this Purifying Foaming Gel from La Roche-Posay proves it.




I actually had the Purifying Foaming Gel in my stash for a while before I tried it. The horrors of the past, put me off from trying it for a while. I needed a travel-friendly cleanser to take on holiday with me, so it seemed like a good time to try it. The Purifying Foaming Gel is part of the of the Effaclar 3-Step Anti-Blemish System from La Roche-Posay, created for oily skin. It's designed to gently purify the skin, eliminating impurities and excess sebum. It's created with sensitive skin in mind, designed to soothe the skin and cleanse without irritation. The formulation includes La Roche-Posay's Thermal Spring Water, which has been proven to be a useful and active dermatological ingredient. The Thermal Spring Water is rich in anti-oxidants, whilst soothing and softening the skin.

I've simply been using the gel cleanser twice a day, sometimes with my hands and sometimes with my Magnitone Cleansing Brush. It's incredibly gentle, creating a gentle foam, which lifts dirt, grime and oil away from your skin. After cleansing my skin feels very clean and fresh, without feeling dry or stripped. I also bought a full-sized version of this for my sister-in-law, in her teenage years she's really struggling with oily, acne-prone skin. She'd been complaining about her skin feeling dry after cleansing, so I switched her to this and she's had no complaints so far.

The Purifying Foaming Gel retails for £11.50 for a 200ml tube, but you can pick it up on offer fairly regularly from Escentual here.
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