Chocolate Bar Palette | Too Faced

Happy new year everyone! I must apologise for my lack of posts recently, I have currently been snowed under with university coursework and exams, ridiculously boring I know.

Sometime before Christmas (which seems like an age ago now!) I caved and treated myself to the much loved Too Faced Chocolate Bar, and MY GOD is it fabulous. It is a range of sixteen gorgeous buttery soft and heavily pigmented, matte and shimmery eyeshadows.

First can we just talk about the smell. You might be thinking erm... it's an eye product what on earth is this girl on about? Well, as soon as you open this palette you are enveloped by the sweet smell of chocolate and let me tell you, it's divine! The eyeshadows themselves were made using pure, antioxidant-rich cocoa power giving them their dreamy scent. Every time I use this palette I have to smile purely because it smells absolutely heavenly.

I find chocolate bar style packaging absolutely adorable. Inside, each of the carefully selected shades come together to give a palette which is neither overwhelmingly cool or warm, making it the perfect palette for a whole array of skin tones and shades.

 
(L to R) Gilded Ganache, White chocolate, Milk Chocolate, Black Forest Truffle, Triple Fudge

(L to R) Salted Caramel, Marzipan, Semi-Sweet, Strawberry Bon-Bon, Candied Violet, Amaretto

(L to R) Hazelnut, Crème Brulee, Haute Chocolate, Cherry Cordial, Champagne Truffle

Being a lover of all things gold and glittery I absolutely adore the shade Crème Brulee, I think it would work well to complement just about any eye colour or skin tone. I wear it pretty much everyday. The Shade Champagne Truffle is another personal favourite, it's a delicate pearly, ballet slipper pink shade, perfect for the inner corner of your eye or even doubling up as a highlighter, simply stunning!

For me this palette is a definite 10/10, it has the perfect balance between matte and shimmer, and the formulation of the eyeshadows themselves are absolutely perfect, they are easily buildable and blend like an absolute dream, the scent itself makes this an total must for me. I understand than shimmery shadows aren't everyone's cup of tea but personally, this palette is right up my street. One downside however is, a few of the darker shimmer shades have a slight amount of fall out when applied, but honestly I think that is to be expected with any product containing that amount of sparkle. 

This palette is incredibly versatile, the shades contained can be used to create a soft everyday look as well as a more dramatic smokey eye for nights out. It is available here and retails at £39, which I think is fairly reasonable for sixteen, high quality shades.

Have you tried this palette? If so what did you think?

Love, Katie x

Rimmel 'Kate' Lipstick

Recently I've been attempting to feed my insatiable makeup addiction in a less costly way, and have been trying out more and more inexpensive 'drugstore' products. Rimmel is by far one of my favourite affordable brands, weirdly though I've never actually tried any of their lipsticks. So last month I picked up a few lipsticks from the much raved about Rimmel 'Kate' collections and have been testing each of them out ever since. Here's what I thought...

From L to R: 45, 03, 107, 08, 48

First things first, each of these lipsticks has a sweet fruity scent, nothing too overpowering, which I absolutely love!

The Nudes: (cream casing)
45 A delicate rose nude which comes off as very sheer on my lips, almost balm like though sadly not quite as moisturising. Perhaps it is formulated in such a way to make it more universally flattering. Due to its balmy consistency it only lasted an hour or two on the lips. 

48 A deep dark chocolatey burgundy nude, I think this is probably aimed at darker skintones than mine but I love it all the same. Once applied it is not completely opaque but more so than 45, giving it a longer staying power of around three to four hours.

Lasting finish: (Black casing)
03  A soft pink nude which very much an everyday lippy for me and my skintone. Rimmel promises 8 hours of wear with this collection but if I'm honest its more like 4.

08 My personal favourite out of all the lippies I picked up. A soft dusty rose shade with a hint of mauve the perfect nude for my skintone, for me its a gorgeous your lips but better shade. (Also its a great dupe for MAC Faux, at just a fraction of the price!) When applied it has a demi-matte almost frosty finish. 

Matte Collection: (Red casing)
107 A sophisticated red mulberry wine colour. I have never been one to wear a red lipstick as I don't think they suit me very much. This however isn't a bright bright red and doesn't look too harsh with pale skin as some reds seem to. It's incredibly pigmented once applied with as the name of the collection suggests a Matte finish. This lipstick wears quite heavily, and if your lips are dry clings to the dry patches, this however can easily be avoided by prepping and priming your lips. For me this lipstick is definitely a new favourite for the festive period!

Swatches From L to R: 45, 03, 107, 08, 48

These lovely lipsticks are priced at a very reasonable £5.49, I think at this price they really can't be faulted! You can find them online here. For anyone else trying to save a bit of money, when I bought these they were on a 3 for 2 offer in Boots (they're pretty much always on offer in either Boots or Superdrug.) Amazing!

Have you tried any of the Rimmel Kate lippies? If so what did you think? Let me know!

Love,
Katie x

H&M Eye Shadow Sticks

After seeing the recent hype concerning H&Ms newly revamped beauty section I just KNEW I had to give at least one of their products a try. I thought I'd just try out something small as being a student and it being close to the end of term, I'm sadly running on quite a low budget. Sigh. 

Eventually, after ohhing and ahhing over their vast selection of products for quite a while I decided on two of their Eyeshadow pencils in the shades 'Chantilly' and 'Sun on sand.' 'Chantilly' being a delicate shimmering white , perfect for the inner corners of the eye and 'Sun on sand' a gorgeous golden goddess-like shade, which I thought would be stunning for all over the lid. I went for these as I thought they looked like good dupes for the Charlotte Tilbury Colour Chameleon Eyeshadow Pencils which I have been dying to try for months. But at only £3.99 each the H&M versions are far more budget friendly. 

When I got them home and tested them out I loved how convenient and easy to use the pencil formulas were. The product itself was fairly creamy and glides onto the skin, however one negative that I found was, thanks to the oily formulation they were a tad sticky and quite hard to blend with a brush, I found fingers worked better as the heat from them helped to melt the product into the skin more. 

Although not the most pigmented shadows in the world, they add a subtle amount of shimmer perfect for a soft daytime eyeshadow look. It took a while to build up the product to my chosen pigmentation, totally frustrating when in a rush. 

Despite promising to be water resistant, by the end of a day at uni they had rubbed off quite a bit, despite my using a primer underneath. (see below pictures)

At £3.99 I'm in two minds about this product, on one hand they're a buttery, easy to apply to the eyelid (all you have to do is scribble) but on the other hand I found blending and building the colour up to be a bit tedious. 

They're a fun experimental product- having never tried out pencil eyeshadows, they're also inexpensive so you don't really need too much extra cash on hand. Especially perfect for beginners and people who aren't very confident with eyeshadow, those who just want a nice all over colour on the lid, as well as those who have a soft spot for all things shimmery. Available online here.

Have you tried any of the new H&M makeup products, if so what did you think?

Love Katie x

Nars Glossybox | GIVEAWAY! |

The arrival of this month meant for all of the beauty obsessed, the arrival of the long awaited and much talked about NARS Glossybox.

Everything about this gorgeous little box of wonders has been seriously thought out. From the packaging itself a silky, soft matte black, perfectly mirroring NARS' own iconic packaging, to the careful selection of the products within including both much loved and newly released beauty bits.

So what exactly do you get in the box...?

A Miniature NARS blush in the cult shade Orgasm (Naughty I know) I already own this in the the full size, but I'm pretty sure either of my sisters will be happy to receive this as part of their christmas gift! Its a gorgeous pink blusher with a gold shimmer running through it, I am sure it will complement any skin tone beautifully! 

Next up is the again cult Larger than Life Longwear Eyeliner in Via Venito (black). I'm an absolute slave to my MAC Fluidline gel eyeliner, but having tried this I'm not so sure anymore. It has a creamy, easy to use formula perfect for lining both the waterline and the lashline. It is velvetly smooth and almost glides onto the skin whist giving rich pigmented colour. Definitely a keeper.

The NARS Multiple in Orgasm was the next thing I got. It's the equivalent of getting four products in one. The Multiple can be used on eye, cheeks, lips and body, its creamy formula allows it to blend effortlessly into the skin with your fingers giving the perfect sheer, shimmery finish. A must have for any contour queens out there!

I have been dying to try the new NARS Audacious mascara for a while now but alas I already had about four mascaras on the go so have been waiting for these to run out before I went and purchased one of these, so when I got my hands on this box I was super excited to test it out. The brush itself is a bit scary, when the product itself is cleaned off it is a bright red, rubbery claw like thing. The formulation of the product is a bit clumpy and I found it difficult to build with it, but it gave my lashes lovely length. After a full day at uni though it had smudged a bit and begun to flake. Not my favourite mascara in the world but gives good wear for short periods of time. I did love the packaging though, very Louboutin- esque!

And last but by no means least, I received a Satin Lip Pencil in the shade Rikugien, which can only be described as a seriously stunning, very wearable, dusky rose shade. I'm ashamed to say hadn't previously tried any of the satin lip pencils before this one. The formulation is so creamy and the colour long lasting. Again I feel this will be complementary to most skin tones.

In my eyes this box is an absolute 10/10 and would suit anyone from a hardcore beauty lover (especially those partial to anything limited edition) or a beginner to the beauty world. Its seriously luxurious.

Here is the exciting part!

As the Glossybox website was so busy the page froze after I had put all of my bank details in... I stupidly refreshed the page as a result, instead of receiving just one box I had two arrive in the post. Well done Katie.

So, being the lovely person I am (haha) I thought why not turn my stupid mistake into something fun and make this my first EVER giveaway! (Hopefully the first of many!) You could win the above box filled with all of these lovely beauty bits. 

Could this sold out, limited edition box RRP £35 be any more perfect for Christmas- either for yourself or for a loved one?

How to win: Simply use the Rafflecopter widget below to enter as many times as it will let you. If you do have any trouble working it, please let me know. The only mandatory entries are following me on Twitter and Bloglovin, doing the additional entries is entirely up to you. As always, thank you so much for taking the time to read my blog, whether you’ve visited it once or read every post, it means a lot to me.


a Rafflecopter giveaway

***The giveaway starts Monday 23rd November 2015 and runs until the Sunday 6th December 2015. (So I can post it to you by Christmas!) The winner will be chosen at random. Only open to entrants from the UK please! ***

• You must be a Bloglovin and a Twitter follower in order to enter! 
• All entries will be checked and any false entries will be removed
• If you are under 18 please ask your parent or guardian permission to provide me with your address 
• This prize cannot be exchanged, swapped or refunded.
• The prize will be sent directly to the winner from me, should the item get lost/damaged or stolen in transit, the responsibility is with the courier. I am under no obligation to provide replacements.
• The winner would be randomly selected via Rafflecopter and notified via email and twitter. If no reply has been received within 3 days from the initial contact, another winner will be randomly selected.

Good Luck!
Love Katie x

The Only Drugstore Foundation You Need

As I previously said in another post I absolutely ADORE my Magic Foundation from Charlotte Tilbury, however, as I am a student, I'm on a budget and sadly as a result can't afford to wear it every day (sob!). As a result I went on the hunt for a cheaper alternative.

I tried out quite a few, but the one I really fell in love with was the much hyped about L'Oreal Infallible 24H-Matte. This foundation promises long lasting, full coverage with a demi matte finish. Which I have to say I completely agree with. I have worn this foundation pretty much everyday for the last fortnight and it ticks all the boxes for me and my skin type.

I just want to briefly look at the packaging, which I'm a big fan of. L'Oreal has clearly outlined exactly what we can expect from this product making it super easy to identify if this will suit you and your skin type. It is also in a plastic tube making it perfectly portable for handbags.

This foundation is oil free and unscented too, how brilliant? Making it suitable for all skin types and less likely to cause sebum induced breakouts, especially useful for oily teenage skin. 

Even after the first use I was really impressed with the finish of this product, it is matte but definitely not "flat" and the fact it is not fully matte means its isn't at all drying on the skin. It is very buildable, but as is with most foundations, too much of this can lead to that inevitable cakey, mask like finish which isn't a good look on anyone. This product has an impressively high coverage but at the same time feels strangely lightweight on the skin, meaning I only have to conceal very prominent blemishes. Formulation wise it is very creamy, with a gel like consistency making it very easy to work with, blending easily into the skin. 

After a full days wear my skin is still matte however I usually tend wear primer underneath and a small amount of powder around my T zone, so this may have helped with the staying power of the matte effect. Though I can't vouch for it lasting 24 hours because come on, lets be honest, who really wears foundation that long? Not me.

Unblended in shade 12 'Natural Rose'

I have applied this with my fingers, both my Real Techniques stippling and foundation brushes and a beauty blender, each giving me a seamless application. 

Annoyingly as with all products this does have a few slightly less favourable features. I find it has a tendency to sink into some of my larger pores making them more noticeable. Which we all know is not cute. At all. It also clings to drier patches of skin. Yuck. But FEAR NOT these can be easily avoided if you make sure you moisturise and use a decent primer underneath, if done correctly it gives a smooth, flawless, almost airbrushed finish. 

My favourite primers to use with this being Mac Prep and Prime Skin Smoother for nights out. Or alternatively NARS Pore Refining Primer for the day time, an added bonus to the latter is that this too is oil free, perfect for the breakout prone!  

Shade 12 'Natural Rose' Blended with my Real Techniques stippling brush

For £7.99 (for 35ml) I don't think you can really go wrong with this foundation so long as you colour match correctly. You can find it online here. All I can say is believe the hype everyone. Its real.

Have you tried this foundation, if so what did you think?

Love, Katie x

Mary-Lou Manizer | The Balm

I just love a good highlighter, I practically bathe in the stuff till I emit a near radioactive glow. I don't know why I'm so obsessed, they're just so sparkly and pretty and add that extra bit of depth and oomph to your makeup look. 

Initially I ignored the hype about The Balm's Mary-Lou Manizer, this went on for months as I was pretty content with my Film Star Bronze and Glow. Recently however I gave into the hype, and boy oh boy am I glad I did!

The packaging itself is super cute, with a vintage style picture on top of the lid. The powder is contained in a sturdy but sleek, flip lid, plastic case. It also contains an internal mirror, perfect for quick on the go application. Another plus is that the lid fits tight, I carry this around in my handbag all the time and it has yet to open by itself - making it totally-travel friendly!

The highlighting powder itself is a gorgeous shimmery champagne shade. It is so pigmented, a little bit of this goes an incredibly long way. Use with caution: you only need tiniest bit for a nice amount of shimmer, but it is easily buildable for a Beyonce-esque diva like shine, if thats what you prefer. 

The formulation, despite it being a powder is so soft and creamy (almost buttery), it is so finely milled it blends like a dream into the skin giving an instant healthy glow. The shimmer in the product is very fine and dense giving the over all glowy appearance rather than obvious lumps of glitter as is with some other highlighters. In addition I find it does not cling to or emphasise my pores. Fabulous! 

For me this is the perfect highlighter for nights out, it leaves a stunning golden goddess like sheen to areas of the face where applied once the light hits it. I generally use this on the tops of my cheekbones, the inner corners of my eye, my cupids bow and just under my brow bone. This is a multi-use product and could also be used as an opulent shimmery eyeshadow, to brighten up and lift the eye area.

I still reach for my Film Star Bronze and Glow during the day as I prefer a more subtle, natural makeup look during the day. If I was to wear this for the day however, I would have to be incredibly sparing with it so as not to overdo it.

In my opinion those with oily skin may want to test this product out first, as they may well find it only exacerbates their oily skin, making them appear more shiny- which is no ones favourite look.

I am totally besotted with this product. If you are looking to add to the highlighter department of your makeup collection this is a must! I think this would complement most skin tones, from the lightest to the darkest. It is priced at a reasonable £17.50 (between drugstore and high end prices) here. The balm also have a Manizer Sisters Palette if you want to try out all three shades in the range! Stunning stuff 

*If you're a student don't forget your 10% discount code for ASOS (Thank me later)*

Let me know what highlighter you use, or if you've tried this product!

Love, Katie X

Charlotte Tilbury Cheek to Chic Blusher | Review

Being super pale I rely hugely on blusher to add a bit of life to my cheeks, I find its hard to find one which just adds a bit of glow rather than just adding a huge amount of colour. And then then Charlotte Tilbury Cheek to Chic blusher came into my life. How could I say no to a product which promises to "Enliven dull skin with a swish and a pop"?  I chose the blush in the shade Ecstasy.  

The Packaging, like the rest of Charlotte's Products follows the gorgeous art deco style. Each blush comes in a lightweight mirrored compact and is made up of two complementary colours. An outer ring comprised of a lighter shade and in the middle a bolder centre colour. Charlotte advises to "Swirl" your brush into the outer shade and "swish" onto the cheekbones to add a delicate shimmer and subtle colour and the dab the brush into the stronger centre colour, applying to the apples of your cheeks to add a vibrant "pop" of colour to them. One can also 'wash' the two shades together for another blush effect. Gorgeous. 

Each of the six blushes in the collection has a very slight shimmer to it, perfect for adding another dimension to your makeup. However those who prefer a matte look to their skin may want to avoid this blush and just stick to their shimmery highlight instead. If Applied as directed, the product gives a healthy looking, radiant flush to the skin.

Ecstasy consists of an external "swish" shade which is a warm, orangey coral with an almost frosted finish, and the internal "pop" shade which is a pink-coral with faint gold shimmer. This shade is incredibly versatile in my view due to the pigmentation which is pretty impressive, one can create a sheer, delicate wash of colour when I'm my natural pale self or alternatively layer it up to give a more intense strong wash of colour when tanned in the summer. Perfect!

Moving onto the formulation of the product. The powder is so finely milled it is almost buttery and blends instantly into the skin, giving a deliciously even glow, if it didn't the two step application could be problematic. I think the texture of this product was my favourite thing about it, and other blushes I have used since have been too drying and patchy... This product is the one! The blushes are also fragrance free and therefore unlikely to cause reactions with sensitive skin. As I said previously there are only six shades in the range, which doesn't sound like much, surprisingly there is one to suit every skin tone, from pretty, pale peach shades to beautiful, bold, bronzy tones.

At £30 it is definitely at the more expensive end of the spectrum, but you get what you pay for with this product. Considering I purchased this product back in February and as it is now my go to blusher I use it most days it looks virtually untouched. I would without question recommend checking this out if you do find yourself at a Charlotte Tilbury counter. It is available online here.

I've got my eye on the shade First Love next! Have you tried any of Charlotte's products, if so did you think they lived up to the hype?

Lots of love,
Katie X