Makeup

You Beauty Discovery Advent Calendar

- Vicki 8 Comments
you beauty advent calendar

Oh, hello beautiful! (talking to my calendar). I can’t tell you how excited I am to have this. The You Beauty Advent Calendar* is a beauty addicts dream come true with fantastic premium skincare / makeup product hidden behind each of the 24 doors. It’s going to make December a very exciting month. For £49.95 you will be treated to products that have a combined total of over £240 pounds, so that is a great deal!

The packaging is so luxurious and the box is very festive, tied up with a white ribbon and opening like a book to reveal all the doors, it’s massive and quite heavy. I’m SO excited to open those doors. But I’m going to be very good and wait until December 1st before I open them. Along with the calendar you get a booklet which gives you the low down on a few products in the calendar and there are a number of discount codes and offers from quite a few brands, so you can make a cheeky purchase if you feel inclined (I will be taking advantage of these).

You Beauty Advent

You Beauty Advent 2013

I won’t spill the beans too much on what is inside, what I will tell you is you should expect an amazing treat each day and that these leading brands (along with many more) all have a product hidden behind a door – ESPA, Caudalie, Stila, Sisley, Dermalogica and Balance Me. I have never tried anything from Sisley or Dermalogica, so I’m excited to try their offerings.

This calendar has everything from hand cream and face masks to luxurious bath treats and kissable lip gloss. It sure is a treat a day!

If you’re thinking of purchasing a Beauty Calendar this year, then this You Beauty offering is great value and is very luxurious. You won’t be disappointed. These are limited edition so If you want to know more pop over to You Beauty Discovery. Let me know if you have already bought one or if you intend to buy one. If so, are you as excited as I am to open those doors?

You Beauty Advent Calendar

Products that are marked with an * have either been sent to me for my consideration or I’ve received at events. I’m under no obligation to review them on my blog. However, if I do, the reviews are 100% my own.

Currently With Me

- Vicki 10 Comments

Always with me

Makeup

I try to change up makeup that I use, if I didn’t I’d wear the same products all the time. So here are a few products I have been using these past couple of weeks & what I have had with me in my handbag.

Mac Select Sheer Pressed Powder NW25 12g for £20 – This powder is great on top of my foundation. It gives me a very flawless finish without looking too heavy or overdone. It gives me a little added coverage and it is keeps me shine free. The compact has a mirror and is sleek and durable. So great to throw into your handbag.

Me Me Me Sweep Precision Eyeliner £6.50 – I’m trying to use this up as I’ve had it on the go for a while. I like it for quite a dramatic eye look. Its nib is easy to use and as the name suggests, good for a precise line. I use this for getting a cat flick look. I have it in black and its very deep black, but not waterproof. I would recommend it if you like using liquid liner.

Bath & Body Works Pocket Bac in Sweet Pea – I love these. This one smells so good and they’re very handy to have with you.

Lipstick

Giorgio Armani Rouge Ecstasy CC Lipstick* 510 Dolci £25 – This is the creamiest most hydrating lipstick I have ever used. This colour is perfect for the Autumn and I feel so swish using it. The product is lovely & the so too is the packaging with its magnetic lid, Armani Logo and bright glossy red bullet. These are luxurious but if you are a lipstick lover then you will enjoy wearing these.

Cat Mirror – Just too cute to leave behind!

Valentina by Valentino – This is quite a sweet perfume. More of a summer fragrance, not one I would purchase in full size. My mum likes it though.

MUA Blush Shade 4 – I have a few of these and for £1 they are great. I don’t like carrying my more expensive blushes with me as I’m so clumsy and tend to break them, so these MUA ones are great for that & they’re pretty. This one is such a wearable peach colour and I rediscovered it this month. What MUA blushes would you recommend?

inmybag11

e.l.f Kabuki Face Brush £6 – I always carry this with me as it is such a multi purpose brush. Great for blush and powder, it’s also small and fits well in my makeup bag. I need to buy  a backup of this.

Nivea Lip balm – Good for this time of year as I get such dry lips.

Benefit Badgal Mascara £17.50 – Not a fan of this, I feel like it doesn’t grab my lashes & hardly any product goes on them. It takes ages to build up any volume. Wouldn’t buy the full size of this.

So thats what I have been using this past week. Some products I love & others I am trying to use up so I can open something new.

Products that are marked with an * have either been sent to me for my consideration or I’ve received at events. I’m under no obligation to review them on my blog. However if I do, the reviews are 100% my own.

elf Cosmetics Store Cardiff

- Vicki 5 Comments

I’m sure most of you are aware that e.l.f cosmetics opened their first European Store in the lovely city of Cardiff. It opened its doors on the 24th October and it sounds like it is going to be a huge success. I’m planning a road trip from Manchester to Cardiff so I can visit and stock up on all my favourite products.

In America e.l.f has been available in stores for a few years but in the UK we’ve had to get our e.l.f fix by ordering online & that has been a pain when wanting to see what the product colours are like as their online swatches have been known to be quite questionable. Now they have an amazing swanky new store so we can see what their products are like in the flesh.

I thought I would share with you a few of my favourite e.l.f products. It took me a while to narrow it down as they have so many products I enjoy using.

elf favourites

e.l.f’s Baked Blushes and Bronzers are amongst my all time favourites i have one of each in this post. They add a hint of glow and are also great as a highlighter. The two I like are pinktastic and maui I have a few more in my collection but I use those two most often. £3.75 for 6g

Their Baked Eyeshadows are also so pigmented and easy to blend, I have been using this beautiful dark brown shade called bark a lot and really want to buy a few more colours. They have 6 shades and are £3.75 each for 3.5g

Their Eyelid Primer in Sheer is a complete bargain and I have repurchased this so many times. It is a great base for shadow and just neutralises the colour on my eyelid and makes them look less red and evens out the colour. It helps keep my shadow on & my lids are alot less oily when I use this. This comes in 4 shades and is only £1.50 for 5ml.

e.l.f Contouring Blush and Bronzer Powder This is a great compact. I have used this when I go on holiday as yuou get both products in a good size compact and It has a great mirror. I have heard this be compared to NARS Laguna and Orgasm. I have never tried Laguna but I must say it is a quite a good dupe for Orgasm, the only difference is the elf blush isn’t as easy to blend. The blush in this is a lovely light peach with a hint of shimmer and the bronzer is a pigmented medium brown with a slight gold tint. I always recommend this dupe to people. £3.75 for 8g

These mineral eyeshadows from e.l.f are the only mineral makeup I have, I’ve used some in the past but find it messy and hard to keep in the pot. But these shadows are what I kept hold of as I really like the way they blend and they are pigmented and quite buildable. I have a few shades and like them all. The one in the photo is called Temptress. These come in 28 shades for only £3.00 each, such good value.

My beloved e.l.f Kabuki Brush is one of my most used brushes. I take it everywhere & use it for powder, blush, bronzer it is fab for travel and its so small & compact. It has never shed its bristles all over my face and washes really nicely. I should buy a second one of these as I use it every single day. £6.00

I seem to have an addiction to chubby lip crayons and this pretty pink one from e.l.f is a really good purse friendly one. It is in the shade Pink Umbrella’s and would say it’s a nice peach toned pink. It doesn’t have any shimmer and makes my lips look healthy and have a hint of colour. It is a twist up style so no sharpening needed. These lip gloss sticks aren’t long wearing but are fun and so easy to apply and nice to wear. £2.50 for 2.8g

e.l.f Cosmetics

What are your favourite products from e.l.f and do you plan on visiting their new Cardiff store

My Love For BB Cream

- Vicki 14 Comments

BB Cream

My BB Cream Stash

I’m lucky enough to work from home so most days I don’t wear any makeup but when I am venturing out of the house I tend to reach for a BB Cream. I know the ones sold in the UK are mostly like a tinted moisturiser and don’t have the same skincare benefits as the Asian counterparts but I like their light coverage and often dewy finish. I thought I would show you a few of my budget BB Creams or drugstore ones for want of a better word.

Boots Botanics BB Cream Radiant Youth £8.99 for 50ml (not sold online)

This offers a lovely light coverage but I find the consistency a little watery, it needs a good shake before I apply it. I have to buff this in to the skin quite a lot to get an even coverage but It looks good if I take the time to work it in to my skin and I like the colour on me but after about an hour I get very oily and have to apply powder. I’m going to try it out over the winter months when my skin isn’t so oily as I really like the colour. I think this BB cream would work really well for someone with dry skin. I like that this has SPF 30 and the shade I have is Light.

Boots No7 Beautiful Skin BB Cream £12.95 for 40ml

I’ve repurchased this 3 times and it is the only base product that I have ever repurchased so I think from that fact you can guess I really like this one. I have the shade medium and I love the colour, it gives me a healthy glow without looking like I have applied too much makeup. It is very easy to blend and this gives me a good coverage, I would say light to medium. This BB Cream has very little scent and I find with a little powder it lasts me all day and looks great. It has SPF 15 with 5* UVA/UVB  technology. I find this can be build able and finishes to a dewy – not greasy glow. I have even converted my mum to wearing this and she loves it too!

Garnier BB Cream Combination to Oily Skin £9.99 for 40ml

I really like this one too, I find this to be quite a watery consistency and I often squeeze too much product out as it comes out of the tube so fast. This is quite lightweight and doesn’t feel greasy on my skin. I wouldn’t say this is buildable and offers a light coverage. I don’t think this has any SPF in which isn’t great but I do have SPF in my moisturiser. I have the shade Medium in this and find that this shade is a little too dark for me after my summer tan has faded so tend not to wear this when I am on the pale side.

Avon Solutions BB Cream £6 for 30ml

I have the shade light in this, but think it should really be a medium as It is quite dark. The BB Cream is a lovely texture and applies so well, it gives me flawless finish. I was very surprised as I just bought this on a whim from my Avon catalogue and have been quite amazed at the quality and finish. It says it has a matte finish but I would say its more of a dewy finish but not too glowing. It gives my skin a really smooth healthy look I really highly recommend this and think it is a great budget friendly BB Cream. It has SPF 15 and is hypoallergenic.

Garnier All In One BB Cream £9.99 for 50ml

This was the first BB Cream I ever bought and I still like it. I use hardly any product as it is so easy to blend and gives me a light smooth coverage. It has a slight scent to it but nothing over powering. It doesn’t have great staying power but if you need a light coverage if you’re just popping out this is a good one.

L’Oreal Code Lumiere BB Cream Illuminating £14.99 for 50ml

This is the most expensive BB Cream I have bought from the high-street. I really really like it. I even wore it at my friends wedding. I did use a primer as this is quite glowing and I wanted it to stay put. It gave me a beautiful glow and such even coverage. It is illuminating but not in a shimmery way – just in a healthy youthful way. It is quite dark, I have the shade medium but it works well for my skin tone. Out of all the BB Creams this one offers the best coverage. It has an SPF of 15.

If I had to pick just one BB Cream out of the 6 above, I would have to say the No7 Beautiful Skin BB Cream. It is the one I reach for most often and I think makes my skin radiant and provides a nice light to medium coverage.

What BB Creams have you tried from the High-street, do you have any recommendations?