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One of the most impressive products in the calendar is the 15ml version of the Augustinus Bader The Rich Cream moisturiser. The 30ml medium sized version sets you back £135, so to get a mini version of this is amazing as it means that you can try the moisturiser before you even think about buying either the medium or full sized version. Also I love that the Rich Cream is vegan as being vegan myself I've been trying to use only vegan ingredients as I know that it won't flare up my skin or give me spots.
2. Bobbi Brown Pot Rouge
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I've never tried any Bobbi Brown makeup before, I don't know why but I guessed it never appealed to me. This product is a gorgeous mid toned, light pink shade that can be used on both cheeks and lips. I want to start wearing more cream products in 2023, so this product will be a good product to use to get me started!
3. Christophe Robin Cleansing Purifying Scrub
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I've used one of the Christophe Robin's coloured hair masks before and it was great at keeping your hair colour fresh and it made your hair feeling really soft, so I'm excited to try this scrub. The Cleansing Purifying Scrub is meant to be used on wet hair before you shampoo your hair to help clarify your scalp so it has a clean base to start from, if perhaps you want to change your cycle of your hair wash and style routine. This is a 40ml pot, so a little will go a long way.
4. Clarins Hand and Nail Treatment
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My hands are dry all year round apart from summer, which is awful, so I was so happy to see this when I opened door 13. The Clarins Hand and Nail Treatment Cream is meant to keep your hands feeling moisturised all year round and I'm guessing it has some ingredients that helps keep your nails looking strong too. My usual hand cream is a £2.50 one from Boots own brand, so it will be interesting to see how this one compares.
5. Charlotte Tilbury Bella Sofia Eyeshadow Palette
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I have built up quite a collection of Charlotte Tilbury eyeshadow palettes because I love them, but I have never bought the Bella Sofia one (originally called Dolce Vita) so I'm excited to use this one. From looking at it in the Charlotte Tilbury store I remember it having a red/brown shade, a pearl inner corner shade, a smoky brown shade and the pop shade is a beautiful gold that makes the eyes really stand out!
6. Dermalogica Dynamic Skin Recovery SPF50 Spf Moisturiser
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I've been on the hunt for a moisturiser that contains spf as I haven't found a stand alone spf that I love just yet, although the La Roche- Posay one has been the best so far (I just don't like the bottle). This Dermalogica moisturiser is the 2 in 1 I will need going into 2023, especially in the spring and summer months even though I do know that you are meant to wear spf everyday.
7. Elemis Pro- Collagen Marine Moisture Essence
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I've never tried anything from Elemis before as it's usually quite expensive to buy their products. This Pro- Collagen Marine Moisture Essence is meant to make your skin feel plump and hydrated so that your face is kept moisturised for 24 hours apparently. I'm sure you can probably use this in the evening too after your serum so your skin barrier can hydrate over night.
8. ESPA Sleeping Serum
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The idea of a sleeping serum sounds lovely to me and this ESPA one tackles visible signs of skin ageing while you sleep, which even though I don't technically need right now, I can start using it in 2023 so I stop looking older sooner than I could do.
9. Evolve Miracle Mask
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The Evolve Miracle Mask is a AHA fruit mask that contains glycolic acid and sugar cane to deliver smoother and plumper skin. It also helps to increase cellular renewal and skin radiance. I'm not usually keen on masks however this one promises fantastic results, so I'm willing to give this a go and I hope it's really good.
10. Floral Street Sunflower Pop eau de parfum
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11. Laura Mercier Translucent Powder
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One of the most exciting products from the calendar is definitely the Laura Mercier Translucent Powder. This iconic powder is a loose setting powder that keeps your makeup set in place all day, but even I myself can't believe that I've never tried this product before as it's so famous, I'm just not used to loose powders, but I'm thankful this one is included as I need to try it.
12. Murad AHA/BHA Exfoliating Cleanser
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Cleansers usually remove your makeup and clean your skin however this Murad one is also an exfoliator as it contains both AHA and BHA acids to remove dead skin to reveal soft and smoother skin that's ready for skincare and makeup. As someone who's mainly oily but now with the odd dry patches around my chin area, this product will be perfect for when I need to remove the dry skin that's bothering me.
13. Olaplex N03
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I do get my hair balayaged red every 2 or 3 months however I've never chosen to use Olaplex on my hair before it's coloured as it puts the cost of the colour up which I can never afford, so to get one included in the advent calendar is amazing! Olaplex is a weekly at home treatment that reduces breakage to improve the strength of your hair while it's being coloured. My sister and I are going to share this product as she gets her hair dyed too and hers is blonde, so she'll appreciate this even more than I do.
14. Votary Brightening Hyaluronic Serum
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This Votary serum contains narcissus which is meant to unify skin tone and restore radiance to dull skin. Hyaluronic acid (which I'm assuming this contains) adds a huge dose of hydration to keep skin looking plump and youthful which I'm all for.
I hope you enjoyed my post and as promised I will review all the products that have impressed me the most this year, 2023!
Thanks for reading
Chantal x
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It's that time of year again where we see all the beauty brands release their Christmas collections. With so many brands and products to choose from, it can be hard to decide what to buy, whether it's for you or for giving as a gift. That's where Lisa Eldridge comes in. Lisa recently released her new Holiday collection comprising of new shades of her True Velvet lipsticks and very excitingly she has now created 5 eyeshadow palettes! In today's post I'm going to review 3 new products, The Eyeshadow Palette in Vega and two new lipsticks in the shades Velvet Enchantment and Velvet Sorcery.
Vega Eyeshadow Palette
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I have never been more excited to share my thoughts on a product before! I have been following Lisa's brand from the beginning, from buying the first True Velvet shades online to attending the launch of the first ever pop-up in Covent Garden and I'm so happy to see how much the brand is growing. I was so impressed when I saw the launch video for the new eyeshadow palettes that as soon as the video finished I knew I had to buy the Vega palette as for me it's by far the most versatile palette out of the collection as it includes neutral shades that can be used both day and night. In this particular palette there are 4 different finishes: Velvet, Seamless Matte, Luminous & Metallic. Each of the palettes have a different number of finishes depending on the look of the colour story and another brilliant idea is that you can replace the eyeshadows in this palette with another eyeshadow as you can also buy them individually. To swap an eyeshadow with another you simply get a pin, pop it through the hole that's directly opposite the shade and then you'll see the shade lift up. Once that's removed to add the new shade you place it over the empty space and then it will automatically snap into place as the palette is magnetic.
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Swatches from left to right: French Grey (Velvet), Smoke & Mirrors (Seamless Matte), Moonswirl (Metallic), Turbulence (Seamless Matte), Supernova (Luminous) & Lamp Black (Seamless Matte).
As you can see from the swatches the pigmentation of the shadows is really good. The only shade which the camera struggled to pick up was Smoke & Mirrors as in the photo is looks like your usual grey colour when in real life it's more of a blue grey which is a dramatic and gorgeous shade. What's unique about these shadows are that they take hardly any work to blend into each other, so they are the easiest shadows I've ever used and there is no fall out, even when using the deeper shades. I can't wait to try more of the shadows in the future!
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Wearing both the Vega palette and the Velvet Sorcery lipstick.
True Velvet in Sorcery & Enchantment
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When Lisa mentioned that she was going to release more shades of the True Velvets I had to of course purchase a couple more. Originally I only bought Velvet Enchantment the same time I ordered the Vega palette however when I noticed that Velvet Sorcery was out of stock online, I then went to the pop up shop to look for Velvet Sorcery and luckily it was in stock!
Velvet Sorcery is a delicious chocolate shade that's not too warm or too cool toned. It gives you the perfect 90s matte, brown nude lip colour look that was made famous by the supermodels of the time. You could also blot it to create more of a lip stain if you'd prefer a more natural look.
Velvet Enchantment is such a beautiful shade! Lisa describes it as a red for people who don't like red and I couldn't agree more as the only red I wear is one of her original shades Velvet Morning which is a warm toned red however when you don't want to wear something as bright as that then Velvet Enchantment is a muted down neutral red which will also be perfect for Christmas time. Like all the Velvets both these shades last for hours on the lips, even after eating however if you do want to re- apply them, they go on very smoothly over the existing lip colour.
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Wearing Velvet Enchantment
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Velvet Sorcery & Velvet Enchantment swatched.
I hope you enjoyed my review, I really love the new holiday collection! If you have bought any of the new products I'd love to know your thoughts.
Thanks for reading
Chantal x
Beauty news doesn't get much bigger than this. Sephora has finally landed in the UK and I'm not the only one who's extremely excited to hear this! For years beauty enthusiasts have been longing for Sephora to return in the UK (apparently it was here years ago however I don't remember that!). To celebrate the launch I decided to create two posts recommending my top picks from the store. In this post I will talk about products from the Sephora Collection line which is Sephora's own brand. This is actually what I'm most excited about regarding the launch, as for years I have been watching beauty Youtubers talk about Sephora Collection however I've never been able to buy from it, so I'm completely buzzing for this!
1. Sephora Collection Cream Lip Stain Matte Liquid Lipstick- £12.99
This is the product that I'm most excited to try from Sephora Collection! The Cream Lip Stains have been talked about in the beauty community for probably 10 years or more and there's a good reason why. Apparently they are one of the most comfortable liquid lipsticks on the market because as the name suggests they feel really creamy and smooth on the lips, making them easy to wear all day without having to reapply every couple of hours. The shades I want to purchase are 01 Classic Red, 41 Vintage Rosewood, 80 Honeymoon, 25 Coral Sunset & 78 Chili Pepper.
2. Sephora Collection 8 Eyeshadow Palette- Wishing You- £10.99
I was so impressed when I saw this palette! For £10.99 you get 8 neutral shades that you can wear for both an everyday look or you can smoke out the shades to achieve a classic evening smoky eye. The reason why this palette is so versatile is due to the matte black shade as it means you can also line your eyes with it using an angled eye liner brush, I mean what more do you need really and also it's great for those on a budget, which lets be honest is most of us now!
3. Sephora Collection Rose Quartz Gua Sha Tool Face and Neck- £16.99
I don't know about you, but as I get older I swear that my face is getting puffier by the day, whether it's due to over sleeping, going out drinking the night before or just ageing in general, I think I need one of these now! The Sephora Collection version is only £16.99 and it's still real rose quartz, so you are saving a lot of money purchasing this one! I don't know if like real crystals where you have to purify this every month to get rid of bad energies however even so this would still work well to de-puff the face. You simply glide it across the face, emphasising the areas that need tightening, which for me is the cheekbones and under the chin. I can't wait to try this out!
4. Sephora Collection Pro Flawless Airbrush #56- £24.99
5. Sephora Collection Pro Featherweight Complexion Brush #90- £24.99
The second foundation brush is the Sephora Collection Pro Featherweight Complexion Brush. This product can also be used as a bronzer, blusher and contour brush as its small, rounded shape makes it perfect for adding precise colour to the cheeks. Having a brush that serves as a 4 in 1 product will save you a lot of time as you can use this one brush throughout your makeup routine. I would suggest purchasing two of them so that you have a back up for when you need to wash the first one you bought.
6. Sephora Collection Pro Precision Powder Brush #59- £29.99
My last pick from the Sephora Collection is the Sephora Collection Pro Precision Powder Brush #59 brush. If you are not a big fan of powdering the whole face, then this brush would be perfect for you as it'll give you precise application to where you want the powder to go, whether that's to set the under eyes or the t-zone for example. Due to it's pointed tip you could probably use this as a highlighter brush too, so again it's a multi-purpose product. It is one of the more expensive products in the line however I think it's worth the investment as it's find to hard a powder brush that specifically targets certain areas of the face.
What products will you be buying from Sephora Collection? I'd love to know.
Thanks for reading.
Chantal x
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Foundation is one of those products that I don't like to change often as once I like a product it's very hard for me to switch it up to something new. For a while I've heard great things about the new Nars Light Reflecting Foundation. This new formula is made with both skincare and makeup ingredients meaning that the more you wear the foundation the better your skin will look and feel over time. The finish is meant to be a lit from within glow, hence the name having light reflecting in it. This is very different for me as I usually prefer a matte finish however now that I've been wearing it I can tell you that it does in fact look lovely once on.
The first couple of things you'll notice when you try this foundation is that it actually has a pump as gone are the days when you had to buy a pump separately for a Nars foundation (with the exception of the Sheer Glow Foundation for some reason?). Also you'll notice that the consistency is a lot thinner than other foundations. As this is the case I think it's best to apply this foundation with a beauty blender because then you can control exactly how much you want to put on and the way in which you blend it in. I bought the shade Deauville which is a light warm toned neutral shade which hopefully will work for me in the winter too as it's not that much different looking from my real skin colour. There are loads of shades to choose from, so you'll definitely be able to find the right one for you.
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I was pleasantly surprised when it came to the coverage as for a thin foundation this covers the face very well! You can also easily build it up, especially when using a beauty blender if you just dab more foundation onto the parts that need more coverage and then it'll easily blend in to create a seamless finish. The only downfall I've found with this product is that due to the dewiness of the finish of the foundation, it lasts about 5 or 6 hours before it needs re-powdering, which for me is mainly on the chin and the nose. For oily skin people I would highly recommend powdering this straight after application and then if you want to you can always use a setting spray as well. It may still need powdering later on in the day depending on the weather for example however at least this technique will give it more chance to last longer.
What I think is unique about this foundation is the way it looks. Even after you've powdered it you are still left with a radiant finish which never usually happens when using other foundations. Seeing as glowy makeup is a trend, I can see why this foundation has gone viral on socials. From using this product for three weeks now I can confidently recommend it. I personally think that no matter what your skin type is everyone will love it!
What do you think of the new Nars Light Reflecting Foundation?
Thanks for reading
Chantal x
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.jpg "Charlotte Tilbury Quick & Easy Makeup Portrait")
.jpg "Charlotte Tilbury Quick & Easy Makeup Outer")
I couldn't resist one of Charlotte Tilbury's latest offerings, her new Quick & Easy Makeup in Super Chic. This is not a new concept for the brand as back in 2016 (or around that time) Charlotte released her first concept of the Quick & Easy makeup kits. Back then all the products were cased in a transparent makeup bag which you could take with you wherever you went from the office to the bar. However for this new incarnation the products are now cased in a reusable plastic box that flips upwards to show a mirror and 3 products inside- a cream eyeshadow stick, a cream blush & lip stick and a cream highlighter stick. These products are meant to be multi purpose, for example you can use the cream blush as a lipstick and the highlighter can always be used on the eyes as an inner corner eyeshadow or on the brow bone to make that area pop more. The only product that isn't really multi- purpose is the eyeshadow, especially this particular one as it's a matte brown which you think may be great as a contour shade however in my opinion it doesn't blend well enough to do this.
Lets go in order of how the products are presented. First we have the cream eyeshadow which is a matte mid tone brown shade, which is not too cool toned or too warm toned, it is the perfect shade for everyone in my opinion! This for me is actually the weakest product in the kit as you have to work really quickly to blend it before it sets and this could be because none of the products have lids as you simply click them back into the main case for them to be protected, unfortunately though I think the eyeshadow does dry out a bit because of this. The positive of this is that once you do have it on your eyes it stays put quite literally all day, or at least between 8 & 12 hours, but in all honesty who wears their makeup more than that anyway? Another positive is that it looks good when used around the lower lash line to add impact to the eyes without making the look over dramatic.
.jpg "Charlotte Tilbury Quick & Easy eyeshadow")
.jpg "Charlotte Tilbury Quick & Easy Makeup Blusher")
.jpg "Charlotte Tilbury Quick & Easy Makeup Highlighter")
.jpg "Charlotte Tilbury Quick & Easy Makeup Swatches")
.jpg "Charlotte Tilbury Quick & Easy Makeup Full Face")
To quote everyone else, I can't believe that 2021 is almost over. Even though this year hasn't been the best for most people it has still somehow gone by very quickly compared to last year. Bring on 2022! For my last post of the year I wanted to write a review of the first and only beauty advent calendar that I bought which was the MAC 2021 Box of Tricks Advent Calendar which contains £340 worth of products however it only cost me £135 to buy, which I think was a pretty good deal if you ask me. I know the calendar has sold out now however I wanted to talk about some of my favourite products from the calendar that I want to recommend to you lovely lot.
Going from left to right we have the Brow Set in Clear, Strobe Cream in Pinklite, Powder Kiss Lipstick in Mull It Over, Extra Dimension 3D Black Lash Mascara, lipstick in Taupe, Lipglass in Spite, Eyeshadow in Brun, Prep + Prime Natural Radiance in Radient Yellow, Mineralize Blush in Warm Soul, Powder Kiss Soft Matte Eyeshadow in It's Vintage, Eyeshadow in Omega and the Cleanse off oil.
Out of this group of products my favourites are the Powder Kiss lipstick in Mull It Over which is a great everyday warm nude shade that'll suit lots of people, Taupe lipstick as it's a gorgeous reddish brown shade that really goes with the whole 90s beauty trends that are going on right now and the eyeshadow in Brun has that same feel to it. My last favourite out of these lot would be the eyeshadow in Omega as it's a beige colour that can both be a great base for eyeshadow however you can also use it all over as a simple one eyeshadow look which is something I do a lot of!
Now for the right hand side, going from left to right we have the mini lipstick in Velvet Teddy, Lipglass in Clear, Prep + Prime Essential Oils, Pro Longwear Paint Pot in Bougie, Prep+ Prime lip, Powder Kiss Soft Matte Eyeshadow in Devoted to Chili, mini lipstick in Ruby Woo, Pigment Colour in Tan, lipstick in Mehr, mini lipstick in Chili, Veluxe Pearl Eyeshadow in Expensive Pink and finally the mini Fix+.
My favourites from this side of the calendar are the mini lipstick in Velvet Teddy because it's so iconic, it suits everyone so therefore you can never have enough of it! The Lipglass in Clear is so simple yet so effective and one product I don't have is a clear lip gloss, so this is something I actually need in my life! The Devoted to Chili eyeshadow looks very exciting as it's a colour that sits right in the middle of red and orange, so I can't wait to create a look using this product next year and my last pick has to be the Pigment Colour Powder in Tan because I've never created a look with a pigment before (unless you count the Barry M Dazzle Dusts which we all tried when we were 12!). This pigment will look beautiful over a bronze smokey eye or maybe over a sunset eye look in the summer.
I hope you discovered some fun and interesting products that you may want to try next year.
Wishing you all the best for 2022
Chantal x
We are finally in December and I couldn't be more excited, the count down to Christmas has begun!! I have wanted a beauty advent calendar for years however I never had the opportunity to buy one until now. There were so many on offer this year however the MAC one stood out to me the most as it was one of the only ones that had predominantly makeup inside it and more to the point great quality makeup! I'm going to try to remember to post regularly as I'm so excited to tell you what's behind each door. So let's see what's behind day 1.
Day 1: Powder Kiss Liquid Lipcolour in Mull It Over
Behind day 1 we have one of the Powder Kiss liquid lipsticks. Mull It Over is a terracotta nude shade which I think would suit all skin tones as even though it's a warm toned nude it's not too warm for people who are used to cooler toned shades. The formula is one of the softest and most comfortable that I've tried from a liquid lipstick as it glides on really smoothly however it then sets down. Like any liquid lipstick I would recommend exfoliating your lips first and putting lip balm on before as this formula may exaggerate dryness. Once set though it does feel very comfortable to wear and it looks great on.
Here it is swatched
I can't wait to see what's inside the other days!
Thanks for reading
Chantal x