What's In My Bag: The Night Out Edit

First of all a little love for the Whistles Suede Chain Pouch, everything looks better in black and gold and the suede just makes this feel like such a luxury clutch. At £75 I realise it is rather expensive, but it has such a classic style and I like to invest a bit into my bags and get ones that will last me years. We are all aloud one vice, and mine mine is bags and make up and skincare and shoes and clothes... 

Inside I actually have another Whistles clutch which I featured in my last WIMB post, which I use for all of my make up bits. I tend to go for my more high end makeup as I so rarely go out I may as well use the good stuff. I went for all chanel products with the Eclat Lumiere  to touch up my foundation that my face seams to drink when I go anywhere vaguely warm, the Les Beiges powder in shade 10 to get rid of any excess shine, and Rouge Coco Ultra Hydrating Lip Colour in Adrienne, a natural lip shade with a touch of shimmer.

Purse wise I just take a card holder with a bit of cash, my cash card and my proof of age. This one is one I picked up a while ago from Oliver Bonas. Of course I always like to smell my best, so my handbag staple is the Muji Atomiser, this time filled with Flowerbomb by Viktor and Rolf a beautiful musky flowery scent that has really good staying power. Aside from my phone, keys and chewing gum there is not really room for much else, but I love this bag and its sturdiness, it may not fit the kitchen sink but it is perfect for nights out. 

Ambient Lighting Makeup Look

I love makeup, and I don't really go a day without it but honestly for a normal day I just do not have more than 20mins to apply my face paint so I don't really get up to much experimenting with looks. I do however love using different products, and at the moment I am loving the Hourglass Ambient Lighting Powders.

I have been wearing Chanel Les Beiges Healthy Glow Foundation almost everyday *review. My skin has been dehydrated recently no matter what I do skincare wise, and this foundation with just a touch of the Hourglass Ambient Lighting Powder in Ethereal Light is stopping it looking so dry. The Ambient Lighting Edit palette has really made me love the powders, I just find it so easy them all being bundled together but the two powders I have particularly liked in the palette, Dim Light and Diffused Light I am sure I will have to purchase separately soon. Here I have Dim Light on the tops of my cheeks, into my hairline and crease of my eyes. Diffused Light I use as a shimmer free highlight to blend out the powder on my eyes, down my nose and on my lower cheeks, to make the Dim Light work as a contour whilst not looking as harsh as a regular contour powder. 

On my brows I always use the Soap and Glory Brow Archery Pencil in shade Hot Chocolate.  To finish off my eyes I just do a simple flick of liner using Maybelline Eye Studio Gel Liner *review which I can only apply using the Lancome Liner Brush, and on my lashes of course the Diorshow Iconic Overcurl Mascara *review. I tend to just wear lip balm on a daily basis and Elizabeth Arden Lip Repair Balm is saving my lips at the moment from this dry weather.

January Favourites 2016

I wasn't really sure if I would would be switching over from the seasonal favourites to monthly favourites, but as I enjoyed so many things in January I figure we can give this monthly thing a go. And fist up for January has to be my new Macbook Air. I have been lusting after one for so long and although they are ridiculously expensive, they are also ridiculously beautiful; priorities on point!

Makeup wise I have been loving the Hourglass Ambient Lighting Edit, but as you can no longer purchase this, more specifically the Dim Light and Diffused Light powders. These give a lovely light from within finish that my skin has really been lacking, I am so ready to have spring time skin I will just have to fake it for a little while. Of course the Chanel Les Beiges Healthy Glow Foundation was going to get a mention. It may have hit stores mid January but I have been using this every day since and loving what it is doing for my skin. On my lips I have been wearing Mac's Lip Pencil in Soar which my sister kindly got me for christmas and on days when my lips are dryer I have been loving the Soap and Glory Lip Stick Satin in Naked Beige.  
My favourite fragrance is actually the perfume oil of my all time favourite fragrance; Dior J'adore Touch de Parfum. This smell is so intense and a much deeper smell than the J'adore Eau de Parfum, I just use a drop of the oil and and it lasts on my skin all day and night. For my nails I have been wearing Berlin There Done That OPI Nail Polish, and my only hair favourite has been the Sleep-In Rollers not particularly to add any curl, but just to up the volume a little. My last favourite this month is my beloved Oliver Bonas Alphabet Mug which is just that bit bigger than regular mugs so perfect for this never ending winter we seem to be having in the UK.

Vichy Aqualia Thermal Rich Cream

When it comes to skincare most of us start the year saying we want to invest more into it, that we should spend more on skincare than we do on make up. Well that may be how I felt last year, but when it comes to serums and creams, the things I use daily, I don't want my products to have a massive price tag. Honestly I think that just makes us use products sparingly when how long we want a product to last should not come into play when looking after your skin. Some of my favourite brands like Estee Lauder and Lancome retail their face creams at silly prices and whilst this may not be the cheapest product from the drugstore this is an amazing cream that you can happily use without having to save up to re-purchase. 

So on with the review; if you have dehydrated or dry to combination skin like myself then this is really worth a try. It has a non-greasy formula that sinks instantly into the skin that means you can apply this just before your make up and it will not affect the finish of you foundation, or look like you have applied a hydrating product at all. This actually seams to target the dryer areas of the skin balancing them to achieve an all over normal skin type. I like to use this in combination with the Vichy Aqualia Thermal Serum *review. Both products contain glycerin, which will encourage your skin to absorb more water, so applying the serum before the cream will really help to keep your skin hydrated.

If you are not prone to dryness there is also an Aqualia Thermal Light Hydration cream available, this will still keep your skin hydrated but the lighter cream will be more suitable if you have combination to oily skin. Both creams retail from £17.00 and can be purchased in most larger Boots stores and online here, but as most British retailers have neglected to list them, head over to vichyusa.com for a full list of ingredients.

Empties; Makeup, Skincare + Perfumes

Oh yes it's time for my first Empties post and I'm starting things off with a worrying amount of perfume and foundation, and it's pretty clear what my favourite foundation is. I go through the Estee Lauder Double Wear so quickly because I wear it nearly every day. I use shades 1W1 and 1W2 dependant on how pale I am and I always have a back up in stock. The YSL Fusion Ink Foundation I had a bit of a love affair with last year. My skin has become more normal to combination recently, but if you have dry skin then this is a beautiful base that will keep your healthy glow all day. 

YSLs Teint Touche Eclat is a classic foundation that I always have on the go. It takes me a while to go through these but I don't like to be without it in my collection. The Rimmel Exaggerate Lip Liners have a perfect formulation and if you are a similar skin tone to me then shade Easton Snob is a gorgeous my lips but better, Kyle Jenner esque colour. I also finished an Anastasia Clear Brow Gel this is not my favourite brow gel but if you have kept your brow hairs fairly long this is really good at keeping them in place all day. I think I just prefer tinted gels these days if I am going to bother using a gel. 

I would probably have had another five bottles of Bioderma if I had kept hold of all my empties. I know most people have moved on to cheaper alternatives but I just think this is the best and I can buy it from the pharmacy next to where I work so it is really easy for me to get hold of. I have finally decided I love the Hydrabio and Sebum more than the (pink) Sensibio. They really do all work differently on your skin and these keep me hydrated but kick back the excess oils on my skin. The Estee Lauder Revitalising Supreme is a beautiful, rich cream that kept my skin nourished and smooth, and the Day Wear has a lovely fresh scent it is a great pick me up cream for the mornings. If only they were not so expensive I am sure I would still be using these. Lastly the Lancome Multi Lift Anti Wrinkle Cream, again a little to pricey for me, but a nice rich cream more suited to dryer skin types. 

Perfume wise I am not even going to try to describe these scents. In general I like an understated flowery scent with a little bit of a musk about it, nothing too sweet or girly. I have managed to get through a Paco Rabanne Lady Million, Lancome Tresor Midnight Rose, Valentino Valentina and two bottles of Dior J'adore Eau de Parfum which is my signature scent. I am sure I will do another empties towards the end of the year, but it was nice to finally take out the trash and for now I look forward to filling up my shelf with products I can actually use. 

The Foundation Rotation

Everyone has their desert island one piece of makeup they could not live without, and while most people steer towards mascara, I am definitely a foundation girl. It's not that I have particularly bad skin these days. Aside from a little redness and the odd blemish, I thankfully don't have to cover too much. I just like things to look a little more perfected, and a good base can transform any makeup look, so I thought I would talk about all the foundations I keep on rotation. 

Of course my all time favourite is the Estée Lauder Double Wear Stay in Place (review) this works with my skin year round and has great coverage. Granted it does need a bit of re-blending or powdering though out the day to kick back the shine, but I have never found another base that I can rely on throughout every seasons weather change like this one. My most recent find was the Chanel Les Beiges Foundation (review), this seams to be wearing better on my dryer skin at the moment. It only released on the 15th of January in the UK so judgement is still out as to whether this can withstand the Great British summer but I shall keep you updated on this one. So far though I have not worn anything else since I purchased it on the 15th. YSL Le Teint Touche Eclat (review) is just a bit of a classic, the easy breezy option for good skin when I want things a little more dewy than the Double Wear. 

The base products I use a little less often but have definitely earned their place in my collection has to start with Chanel's Perfection Lumière Velvet; I could not put this down in summer last year. I have found this a little too drying in the colder seasons, but if you are after a natural looking base that makes you a little more matte this is perfect. The Vichy  Derma Blend Total Body Foundation I mostly use as a concealer or mixed with the other foundations to amp up the coverage. I find the formula to work really well on dryer skin. Where some of my concealers are too drying for my under eye area, this does the job perfectly. Lastly, the Jouer Moisture Tints (review); I tend to mix the Matte and Luminizing formulas to create a healthy glowing finish. These have the lowest coverage of the bunch but its a good low to medium; great for the summer or days you are just running errands. 

Diorshow Iconic Overcurl Mascara

If you follow me on Instagram or read my Best of 2015 post you will probably know I have been loving this beauty for a long time now. I have so many products I use daily that I need to get around to reviewing for you, but after many repurchases of both of these formulas I thought it was about time I shared my love for the Iconic Overcurl. 

Normally with mascara I tend to love either the formula or the wand, in this case I love both equally. The wand is the same for the waterproof and no-waterproof formulas, it is rather thick and curled just enough to fit with the natural curve of your lashes. The dense non plastic bristles allow you to really push your lashes upright and in to the curl. Formula wise both of them can really hold a curl, and the best thing is that it drys really quickly so there is no time for the curl to drop. There is also no fall down or smudging in heat with either of the formulas but of course I would suggest using the waterproof if you planned on being in a very humid environment though, unless you are a fan of the panda eye look. 

The only negative I would say is that the waterproof formula is a little too wet to begin with, however, after about a week this does seem to be the better formula of the two in terms of adding volume to your lashes. 
What I would say is that if you prefer a day time lash with curl, length and volume; all of the good stuff, then the non-waterproof formula is the way to go. If you are after a one coat, full on dramatic evening eye without using false lashes the waterproof formula is better. Both can look the same if you apply 2 coats of the non-waterproof, or brush through your lashes after applying the waterproof so really it's just about which look you would wear more as to which you prefer. Above I combed through one coat of the waterproof and to the right, from my Chanel Les Beiges post makeup, I have on the non-waterproof. 

At £25 a pop I realise it is a bit ridiculous having both, I just love the wand so much I tend to switch which one I buy each time I have to fork out for a new one. These are available on all Dior counters and online here.

Chanel Les Beiges Foundation

It's exciting for all beauty junkies when Chanel launch a new product, but when you hear it's from the Les Beiges collection you know it's going to be a good'n. The whole collection smells beautiful and makes you feel beautiful. It includes some of the best base products I have tried, so if you aim to look effortlessly flawless you won't go wrong in picking up this new release. 

Normally speaking I'm a medium to full coverage girl, my daily base is the Estee Lauder Double Wear Stay in Place foundation, so when I say this has a really good coverage I genuinely mean it. Most importantly though perhaps, the longevity of this is really impressive. I worked 8hour shifts both days this weekend and without topping up on powder or anything I found my foundation was not only still there, but still looked good and relatively fresh by the end of the day. It lasted much better than my usual Double Wear. 

The foundation is also really comfortable on your skin, it does not feel heavy, it is not too dewy but not matte or drying either. I wore this with the Les Beiges powder in shade 10 all over my face and shade 30 as a bronzer and I really am impressed with it so far. If like myself you find the Vita Lumière Aqua to have too little coverage or Perfection Lumière Velvet to be a little drying at times then the Les Beiges is probably what you have been waiting for. With just a little illuminating help under my eyes with the Eclat Lumière I really cannot fault these base products. I have so far always felt like Chanel is luxury makeup, wanting to save it for special occasions, but this foundation feels practical with the added luxury of the signature Chanel scent. 

It costs £36 for 30ml and is available on Chanel counters and online here.

Space NK Haul

Space NK is one of my favourite stores, it's the only outlet I find just as pleasing both instore and online so I thought I would do a little collective haul of some of my purchases from the past couple of months. 

I have recently become totally obsessed with using a Beauty Blender to apply my foundation, it just makes everything look more natural, and the Solid Soap is by far the best way to clean them. For an extra £2 it's really worth buying the set, and if you are wondering which colour to buy the black blender tends to come up the cleanest looking.

I kind of skipped the whole strobing craze of 2015 but I have definitely given in to the glow recently and am loving a natural looking shimmer to skin. For an everyday light from within look I picked up the Hourglass Ambient Lighting Powder in Ethereal Light, and for more of an evening glimmer I purchased Becca Shimmering Skin Perfector in Opal. 

Although I will forever love the Elizabeth Arden Eight Hour Sheer Tint I have been lusting after a Baume De Rose for about two years so with a handy christmas bonus I finally gave in and picked up a Nutri-Couleur in shade 6 Toffee Cream. I have also been lusting after Aesop for a while so thought I would try the Resurrection Rinse Free Hand Wash and Resurrection Aromatique Hand Balm. Not really purchases I needed but it is nice to treat yourself to a bit of an everyday luxury product once in a while and these smell really nice. 

A bit of a TMI purchase but I have recently started epilating and have been really worried about ingrown hairs, although I have never had one, I would like to keep it that way so I picked up Shaveworks The Cool Fix which seams to be doing the trick.  

I also picked up the Hourglass Ambient Lighting Edit and Caudalie Beauty Elixir last month which featured in my Christmas gift guide alongside some By Terry Ombre Backstar's which I have in shades Misty Rock, Frozen Quartz and my favourite Bronze Moon. 

I feel I ought to say thats me all bought for the next couple of months but in all honesty I can never resist a beauty department, so if you fancy seeing the odd this weeks buys Instagram in-between blog posts click here. 

Ciao
  xxx

Best of 2015

Happy new year! I hope you have all had a great start to 2016, time to kick things off with a look back at all the things I discovered and loved in 2015. This was really tough to narrow down as I tried a whole bunch of stuff last year so here is a little look at the products that really stood out to me, and I warn you it's a long one, so grab a cup of tea or just have a little scroll through the pictures; no judging here. 

Skincare wise I tried so many new products towards the end of the year I did not want to include too many new loves but the Vichy Aqualia Thermal Rich Hydration Cream has really stood out to me as the perfect non-greasy moisturiser for sensitive, combination skin, it just makes my skin feel good every morning. Serum wise it is nothing new, I have loved the Lancome Advanced Genifique (review) for a long time, it keeps my skin nice and firm which no other skincare product I have come across has managed.

My hero product for my hair the past year is the L'Oreal Professionnel Beach Waves Salt Spray, I really dislike my hair when fully straight and a spritz of this gives some lovely waves and texture without your hair feeling weighted with product; it also smells amazing. My favourite application duo is a Beauty Blender dampened with the Smashbox Primer Water. I have never had such flawless foundation that stays put for so long and does not look at all cakey; this really is the dream team for applying your base. 

Speaking of base products, this year I have fallen in love with Chanel their Perfection Lumiere Velvet blends and re-blends beautifully throughout the day and doesn't need any powder to keep away the shine. It has a lovely natural skin finish to it and it is perfect for the warmer months. I have also fallen for the Les Beiges Sheer Powder in shade 30, if you are a fellow Snow White and dream of having sun kissed skin then here is the product you have been looking for.

My favourite concealer has not changed since my 2014 favourites, I am still loving the Kevyn Aucoin Sensual Skin Enhancer (review) it is the only true full coverage product I can rely on to stay put all day and keep me feeling confident even when full of blemishes. 

The Kevyn Aucoin Sculpting Powder (review) has remained my favourite contour powder throughout 2015. I have tried cheaper alternatives, but I don't think I will ever find a more perfect cool toned contour powder for my skin tone. My favourite blush has to be the Hourglass Ambient Lighting Blush in shade Mood Exposure. If you are ever short of time this a lovely subtle blush and contour shade in one.

As my skin has become dryer as I get older I have moved away from the Kick Ass Powder by Soap and Glory and on to their One Heck Of A Blot powder. This still keeps things nice and matte but just stops my skin looking thirsty. I have also been loving the Soap and Glory Archery brow pencil in Hot Chocolate; the shade is a perfect match and the spoolie is much better than some high end ones I have used. 

Probably my most exciting find has been the Diorshow Iconic Overcurl Mascara (review), the wand gives perfectly fanned out, long, curled lashes with a tone of volume. The Chanel Rouge Coco Hydrating Lip Colour in shade Adrienne has been my most worn lip stick it is a beautiful my lips but better shade.

2015 was the year of the lipliner and the Rimmel Exaggerate Lip Liners, not only have a great selection of shades, but the formula is perfect, they are not at all drying; so comfortable to wear with or without lipstick. in shade meteor. 

For my eyes I have loved the Diorshow Fusion Mono in shade meteor. You cannot beat the colour and glitter pay off and it does not budge all evening, similar the the By Terry Ombre Backstars I have been loving. These are the brush free, fuss free option, and I have particularly loved the shade Bronze Moon as an everyday wash of colour. 

Lastly my favourite post of 2015 was the What's In My Bag: Wedding Guest Edit, I am really happy with the images in that post and it reminds me of my sisters beautiful wedding which was such a lovely day. 

I would love to know what your favourites from last year were, and if you have done this post link it bellow, I love reading these and discovering new things to try. 

I hope you all have an amazing 2016!