Summer Essential: Topshop Glow Highlighter Review

Hiii,

The summer is fast approaching and I don't think there is a person in sight who is not anxiously waiting on the sun to finally make it's appearance. Personally, I'm not a fan of long, hot summer days as I absolutely hate lathering on greasy sun cream and feeling sticky, but sun protection is important especially for paler skin tones, like myself, and I can't deny that the sun makes me feel more positive.

Anyway, just because make up on a hot day tends to wear off pretty quickly, doesn't mean we shouldn't bother and I think I may have found my favourite product that will surely be on my cheeks every day of summer. 

Topshop's Glow Highlighter in Polished.

I've had this highlighter for quite some time now and I still adore it just as much as I did when I first bought it. I believe its current retail price is £9 and you can find it in any Topshop store or on their online website.

When I bought this highlighter I was new to the whole contouring and highlighting scene and by chance just picked it up in store one day and thought I'd give it a go.  It is in cream form and you only need the tiniest bit because the saying 'a little goes a long way' is very relevant for this product. 

As you can see I've not even started to reach the bottom of the tub yet and I'd say I've been using this product for about 6 months now. The highlighter is a pearl white colour with tones of purple and pink and looks amazing just above the cheekbone and on the brow bone. I've swatched it along my hand just so you can see how reflective of the sunlight it is. Perfect for summer!

I have tried other forms of highlighter since purchasing this product and I just can't seem to find anything that matches it's quality for the same price. Sometimes I even wear this highlighter alone just on my cheeks and I have had so many compliments about how radiant and healthy looking my skin appears. 

If you give this product a go or already have it, please tell me what you think. I for sure have this product as a makeup bag staple now and will definitely be repurchasing once I run out.

I hope you have found this post useful if you are looking for a little summer pick me up.

For now,

Chanel

xx

GlossyBox: November

GlossyBox: November

Hi everyone, Happy November! It's been a crazy past few weeks through from October until now and I have been absolutely rushed off my little feet, socialising, attending vintage fairs and eating (alot of eating). In this time I've been itching to receive my GlossyBox for November and to see what miniature goodies were in store for me.

If you are unaware of who GlossyBox are, then let me give you a simple run through. GlossyBox are a company who send out little parcels of joy filled with 5 miniature samples from well-known and upcoming brands to us beauty lovers on a monthly occasion. This costs £10 (plus P+P) and you can apply for a range of subscriptions which are suited for everyone. The GlossyBox allows you to pick your interests in beauty and what products you would like to be sent on their website before your purchase. If you want to check GlossyBox out then click here (or for USA readers here.).

Inside my GlossyBox this week was:

The first product I picked out from my box was the 'Connock London- Kakui Eau de Parfum':

This product is retailed at £75 for 100ml which to be honest is a little stretch out of my pay boundaries (mostly because I use perfume so quickly) but I let my mam have a sniff and she absolutely loved it. The perfume has a distinct woody smell which leaves a floral sweet smell after a few hours wear. This product is absolutely gorgeous for a little bit of holiday luxury when you're feeling the blues of the winter but unfortunately for me I enjoy a highly sweet perfume. One for the mother, I think!

The next product in my GlossyBox was the 'Yves Rocher France- Cocoa and Raspberry Hand Cream':

If you know me personally then you will understand how excited I was to see a hand cream in my GlossyBox this month. I can not describe how good this product smells, the sweet cocoa mixed with the fruity raspberry just leaves the most gorgeous smelling skin. I feel like the ultimate Christmas cherry with this product and it's an absolute handbag must for keeping away dry skin in the cold weather. This product is also cheap at £1.95. BONUS!

Another product in the box was 'Emite Make Up- Micronized Eyeshadow':

The Micronized Eyeshadow came in the lighter cream shade, which is a complimenting tone for my type of skin type, although I have seen other subscribers who have received a darker shade. This eyeshadow is ideal for sensitive eyes, much like it's description as it contains no oil or nasty chemicals that may irritate the skin. The eyeshadow is shimmery and I have been wearing it all day to highlight my brow bone, it looks fantastic and I can't wait to wear it more often. This product retails at £16.80.

The next product I received is the 'Elegant Touch-Nail Polish Remover Pads':

Nail varnish is one of my favourite beauty products and as I like to experiment with lots of bright colours, I struggle to remember to take it off if I have to go to work or if my nails are horribly chipped. This product is super easy to keep in your handbag for a quick fix of remover if you're in a desperate state. I can't wait to try these pads. They are retailed at £2 for a pot of 20 pads and can be bought from all major drug stores.

The final product in my GlossyBox was the 3-set 'Vichy- Idealia Life Serum and Cream':

With this little bundle I got 2 Skin Idealizer Serum and 1 Smoothing and Illuminating Cream, which I am extremely excited about especially because I enjoyed the Premae sample last month. So far, the products smell delicious and feel great on the skin, not too heavy but instead light and revitalizing. At winter I tend to have a bit of a skin disaster with dryness and breakouts so hopefully these little goodies will step up to help. Retail priced at around £29.50 for 30ml.

and breathe...

wow ok that was a super long post, but since I haven't posted in a while and I enjoyed my GlossyBox maybe a little too much I thought it was necessary. 

Do you receive GlossyBox's? 

What is your beauty essential?

See you soon m'dears

Chanel

x

Review: Baby Lips- Maybelline

Review: Baby Lips, Maybelline

Hi, I've been gone for so long I literally suck so bad at keeping this blog going omg.

Anyway, I was looking at my stats trying (and failing) to come up with an idea for a blog post and I decided that another review was in order. So here I am armed with lip balm.

I actually refused to buy Baby Lips for a good three weeks before I caved because I did not need another lip balm in my life. I have so many from Vaseline to Chapsticks to Burt's Bees and just thought "no, I am going to save my money. I. DO.NOT. NEED. THIS."

But then I was in Boots and I seen the Maybelline stand and I just couldn't resist any more, I had to try at least one of the Baby Lips products. These have been hyped about so much and honestly, I felt like I needed to see if the excitement was real.

I bought a 'Hydrate' one in 005- Quenched which is actually clear. I find a clear balm easier because I tend to apply them before I put on my lipstick or gloss and with it being colourless, I had no problem with my lip colour changing prior to applying my chosen lipstick. Anyway, I found this product very satisfying. I glides on so easily without being overly greasy or rough to the skin (sometimes I find the Burt's Bees lip balm can be like this) and it leaves a perky glow to the lips. The taste is very minimal but pleasant non the less and I found within a week of using this product that my lips are a lot smoother. I usually bite my lip frequently when I get nervous or anxious (aka. all the blumin' time) so I needed something that would repair the broken skin and this has been super great so far. 

This product is an absolute must for autumn and winter if you have problems with cracked lips. I apply it every morning and night without fail and it's became one of my essentials. 'Baby Lips' are relatively cheap, retail priced at around £2.99 (depending on where you buy it from) and can be purchased from any major drug store or online at the Maybelline website.

There are so many different colours and flavours and I can't wait to finish this little one to try more. Yippee!

Shade Me Up: What shades suit me best?

Hi again, little pops.

 (I thought that was cute because it sounds like coco poops, aw!)

I'm really super busy at the moment because I go on a cruise around the Mediterranean next Wednesday, so i'm sorry if i'm updating even slower then usual (i know.) in the next 3 weeks. Anyway. for the time being I thought I'd do a 'What colour suit me best' kind of post to help people who struggle finding the right shades of make-up to compliment their skin and eye colours. Let's go.

Brown Hair

Celebrity Inspirations: Cheryl Cole, Mila Kunis, Beyonce, Ariana Grande, Kate Middleton

Brown hair + Blue Eyes: Stick mostly to neutral colours on the eyes or even chocolatey browns to make the blue in your eyes really pop. For facial makeup, bronzes tend to look super gorgeous on brunettes so try some gold's to contrast with your eyes and bring out the darker tones in your hair. Finally, the lips will look perfect in a nuder shade to keep the look pretty and natural, this will bring out both the strong colours of your blue eyes and brown hair.

Brown hair + Brown/Hazel Eyes: Try using a green's of a darker or lighter shade around the eyes as it will make the brownness in your eyes look desirable and mysterious. To match this look use a peach or coral colour on the cheeks to bring out the darkness of the eyes and hair, accentuating the green eye shadows. A dark coral or peach colour, much like the cheeks could be used on the lips, or even a clear gloss.

Brown hair + Green Eyes: For this type of look use earthy tones such as deep purples and mauve's to bring out the beautiful green elements in the eyes. This can be matched with a peach pink cheek tint and a darker lip colour like plum or berry shades to illuminate the face and dark tones of the hair.

Blonde Hair:

Celebrity inspirations: Cameron Diaz, Taylor Swift, Emeli Sande, Cara Delevingne

Blonde Hair + Blue Eyes: With this look, it's easy to create a angel-like essence by using gold eyeshadows and bronzed cheeks to emphasise the radiance of blue eyes. This looks great when matched with peach or very nude looking lips.

Blonde Hair + Brown/Hazel Eyes: Using lilac and lighter purple shades with this combination always helps to expose a fresh look. I would match this with a almost raspberry coloured blush and red rosy lips.

Blonde Hair + Green Eyes: For those of you with blonde hair and green eyes I would use brown's to create an almost cheeky look. By using a dark brown on the eye lids with a nude blush and clear glossed lips, this look will look truly flawless.

Red Hair:

Celebrity inspirations: Nicole Kidman, Nicola Roberts, Karen Gillan, Amy Adams, 

Red Hair + Blue Eyes: (That's me, yay!) I find personally that anything with golden and bronze tone's on the eyes works beautifully to bring together the blueness of the eyes and redness of the hair. Match this with a light brown blush and dark pink lips to complete the look.

Red Hair + Brown/Hazel Eyes: Green always looks pretty with redheads but if you have brown eyes then this is your time to shine by using a dark green eye shadow matched with a peach or terracotta coloured blush and dark berry coloured lips.

Red Hair + Green Eyes: Although you may have green eyes, your hair will be shouting for you to use a light green eyeshadow to make your eyes pop. Match this with a peach blush and light coloured lips to create a beautiful finish.

Black Hair:

Celebrity inspirations: Katy Perry, Selena Gomez, Kim Kardashian, Kristen Stewart, Megan Fox

Black Hair + Blue Eyes: With this look you should try and wear more lighter shades on the eyes such as cream's and light brown's as you have bright eyes that need to be contrasted against your hair. With this match a light pink blush and dark red lips. Very classic and stunning.

Black Hair + Brown Eyes: As black hair is very striking, brown eyes can be used to help tone the look down by using golden shades or pink light shades. This can therefore be matched with berry coloured cheeks and peachy coloured lips.

Black hair + Green Eyes: I would recommend with this look to bring on the smoky eye by using dark browns and blacks, matched with a peach or light pink blush and clear glossed lip or very subtle reds.

So, I hope that helped you if you are struggling to find the perfect colours for you. Although this may be helpful please experiment with different colours and shades to find your ultimate look. 

Also I'm really sorry if I missed you out, I tried my best.

Thanks for reading.

Much Love,

Chanel

x

Little Treats: Makeup Addition

Little Treats: Makeup Addition

Is it a bird?

Is it a plane?

Is it the apocalypse?

No! It's me posting two days in a row ( cor, blimey!)

So lately I went out on a little shopping trip with my dad, as we were looking for a jeweller that could craft a broken Mizpah ring into a one that fit my finger as it's a item that runs in the family and I am yet to get my grubby little hands on one as they are so rare to find these days! 

Anyway, I made the mistake of going into a couple of the drugstores on the highstreet, which for me is unfortunately money suicide. I picked up a few new products and I thought it would be nice to share with you which of them I have fallen a little bit (alot) in love with.

Firstly, I have been told on numerous occasions about MUA's eyeshadow palettes and how great they are for their super cheap prices, so I decided to give them a go. When I spotted the 'Heaven and Earth' palette my heart melted a little and my eyes glowed like the light of the sun. The mix of creams, bronzes and browns are absolutely perfect for an all natural look or if you want to show off your sizzling summer tan. As I have red hair and blue eyes, bronze's are the colour I tend to for and this palette was an absolute steal at £4.00 from Superdrug. You can view the product here and other's that are similar.

MakeUp Academy/Heaven and Earth Eyeshadow Palette/ £4.00

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Next, I picked up the L'Oreal Superliner Perfect Slim, felt-tip liquid eyeliner in Intense Black (phew, that was a mouthful!). I wear eyeliner religiously but I needed something a tad bit subtle for work and sixth form and although I usually use Collection 2000's liquid felt-tip liner, L'Oreal definitely have the edge when it comes to precision. The nib is very fine and allows a closer finish to the lashline, although maybe pretty tricky for those of you who are not familiar with using liquid eyeliner. I absolutely love this product, it's my new little gem and I wear it everyday as the colour stays where I put it (yipppeeee!)

You can find this product in any major drugstore or online here.

L'Oreal Superliner Perfect Slim/ Intense Black/ £6.99

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My last product I picked up was an inevitable happening as I strolled past the Rimmel London counter and stared at the array of beauty that is the Kate Moss Collection. If you know me at all then you will agree that I have a slight obsession with the Kate Moss lipsticks and I thought it would do no harm to expand my collection. The shade I chose was number 19 which is similar to another one I already have in number 8 but is a little bit darker with red undertones. Again, these lipsticks are amazing and if you haven't tried them what are you waiting for?! They apply very easily and have a lovely creamy texture. The lipstick also smells incredible and stays on for a long period of time, although slightly falters with food/ drink consumption but that's usually normal with lipstick. The only issue I have with these lipsticks are that you have to be super careful incase any get on your clothes as they do tend to stain and are tough to remove, but don't let that put you off.

You can view this product here and buy them at any drugstore.

Kate Moss Lipstick/ Rimmel London/ no.19/ £5.99

That's all for now folks.

What makeup products are you loving at the minute?

Thanks for reading!

Much love,

Chanel

x

Review: Apocalips Lip Lacquer, Rimmel London UK

Review: Apocalips Lip Lacquer, Rimmel London UK

Hi guys, sorry I haven't been on for a while because of exams and issues in my personal life but I'm back and I'm armed with a new product review!

So the Apocalips Lip Lacquer was actually recommended to me by my mam's friend when we were having a little chatter about new make-up products and she told me that it was her absolute favourite at the minute. Now, after buying my own and trying it out, I'm finding it hard to disagree. The lip lacquer glides on very easily and is slap bang right in the middle of a gloss and a lip stick (which means more pigmentation and less stickiness, yay!) and stays on for a long time, I even tested the 'drink a cup of tea and attempt to keep the colour intact' and it stayed put perfectly. 

The colour I picked up is the 'Celestial' version and I squirmed at how cute all the names are in range as they are moon and galaxy themed. This specific colour is a subtle red with darker undertones and looks absolutely divine with a bronzed look, which is perfect for summer. Also what i find helpful about this product in particular is that it allows you to build up on coverage, just in case you don't want something bold and bright, a gentle slick of this lip lacquer will apply just the right enough to create a more delicate look. 

This product is incredibly cheap at £4.99 and can be found in most drug stores such as Superdrug, in supermarkets such as Asda, Tesco and Morrisons or can be found on-line at asos.com. As usual my favourite store is Boots and the product can be found here amongst other Rimmel London ranges.

Star Rating: ★★★★★

Tip Of The Day #1

Hi! So I have a number 1 top tip that I use every single day and I highly recommend it to anyone (especially those of you who are a little skin-concious).

When you wash and cleanse your face either at morning or night you want to get rid of all those nasty little toxins that have been developing slowly over time, like bacteria and bits of make-up that are just impossible to take off (mascara, you are our friend not our enemy!) The perfect way to get your face refreshed and clean is by using a regular method.

• First use warm water on your skin, not boiling but just hot enough for you to use on your face without hurting yourself. Warmth allows the pores in your skin to open up and therefore you can clean out all of the oils and dirt.
• Secondly, use a facial wash that is suited to your skin. 

1. For very dry skin you should opt for a more oil-based wash such as Olay's Essentials Face Wash, which is refreshing and has a gorgeous citrus smell to it that just allows enough moisture without your face feeling over clogged. (This can be bought here for only £2.24!)
2. For normal skin, I tend to use Simple's Kind to Skin Refreshing Facial Wash Gel as it gently cleanses your face and is absolutely perfect for those of you who tend to have problems with sensitive skin. It smell gorgeous and is packed with vitamins to help keep your skin looking young and fresh. It's super cheap and can be picked up in most stores for around £1.50 (buy it here)
3. For oily skin, you don't want to be adding more moisture to the skin so you want something that will cleanse your skin without drawing out more oil from your pores. Clinique's Liquid Facial Soap is a life-saver for oily skin. It's formula is light on the skin and does a great job as reducing blemishes and also for reducing the size of bigger pores. Although this product is a little more expensive, a small amount goes a long way. This product can be found in most beauty stores and department shops or can be bought here for £15.00.

• After you have cleansed you skin with a facial wash, use cold water to rinse. Just as an opposite to warm water, cold water closes the pours and therefore stops any dirt from entering. This means healthy refreshing skin, yaaaaay!
• If your skin needs a little moisturising afterwards then I find the best thing to use is Johnson's Baby Lotion as it's super delicate of the skin and leaves it silky smooth.

The Face Behind the Blog (dunnn dunn dunnnnhhhh!)

 Just a few photo's to show you the face behind the blog, I don't want to hide behind an avatar and unfortunately you lot will probably see me without make up sometime in the future if i do a tutorial or even a step-by-step instructional post. I am a natural redhead although it looks a LOT more red on pictures and I'm not really sure why but yes I am pretty much flat out ginger. There are days when I hate my hair and days when I love it, it just completely relies on my mood of the day as it's just so thick and heavy, uurrrgghhhghgjdjsasdhkaj...
Anyway now i've bored you with the details, thank you for taking the time to look at my blog and if you like it then please share it with your friends.
Thank You!
Chanel
x

Review: Collection 2000, Extreme 24 Hour Felt Tip Liner - £2.99 (UK)

Hi everyone! So, I went on a bit of a shopping spree this week and the main purpose of my spending was to find a felt tip liquid eye liner after watching videos on YouTube and seeing a lot of other people trying them out. I love my liquid eyeliners and use them everyday whether it is subtle or a little more extreme for a special occasion, so I wanted something that would stay put and was easy to apply. I picked up Collection 2000, Extreme 24 Hour Felt Tip Liner (Black) in Boots for only £2.99 just so I could give it a go and not feel upset about spending loads of money on a product which I could end up not liking.

I’ve used this product several times over the past few days and so far, so good. The applicator is exactly like a felt tip pen and glides easily across the lid without leaving splodges and lines like some eye liner applicators. Also a fab aspect about this eye liner is that you don’t have to constantly keep dipping the applicator back into the liquid as it is stored within the pen,woo! The small nib of the pen is perfect for getting in little detailing and is perfect for cat flicks. 

For the price of £2.99 I really couldn’t ask any more from this product as it’s practical (you can carry it around without making a mess!), easy to use and leaves a clean, precise finish. The only criticise I have is the fact that I found the eye liner wears slightly after about 5 hours but that’s nothing that can’t be fixed by a little re-application touch up. Overall, if you are looking for a reasonably priced eye liner that is either something you want to try out or even just to switch up your look then I definitely recommend it.

(It’s also great for those who are just beginning to use eye liner!)

Star Rating: ★★★★