November Favourites 2013

 Are we all excited for Christmas yet?! I think I would be more excited if I was decorating my flat! My boyfriend and I are leaving London on the 12th for four weeks, to go back home to Bournemouth, so there's not really much point in decorating. However, most of my Christmas shopping is done, I've got my advent calendar, and I've popped a playlist of cringey Christmas tunes on my iPod so in my head, it's basically Christmas.

Before I go full swing into Christmas themed posts, here's a rundown of the products I have been obsessed with this month.

First up, there's been a lot of nail polish loving this month. I hit Boots hard at the beginning of the month looking for wintery, Christmassy polishes, so on my nails has been a rotation of these shades. The first purchase was Essie's After School Boy Blazer, a gorgeous inky navy that just looks so sophisticated on your paws. I hunted high and low for the gel formulation of Nails Inc Porchester Square (I can't stand the standard formula of Nails Inc Polishes, so streaky, but I've been lusting after Porchester Square for the longest time), I absolutely love this polish, it's so gorgeous, and the formula is incredible, even if it does take its time drying. I've also been loving the Essie Winter Minis Kit, which contains Toggle on Top, Shearling Darling and Parka Perfect. Definitely reccommend picking up this kit, it's such good value for money, and would also make an excellent stocking stuffer.

Three lip products have pretty much owned that department this month. Rimmel Moisture Renew in Let's Get Naked has gotten me a fair few compliments this month, it's a gorgeous warm peach, that definitely suits the season. I've been pulling this out for every smokey eye look. In the same vein, I'm totally in love with the Bobbi Brown Sheer Lip Colour in Tutu, which is a slightly darker, slightly pinker and slightly sheerer sister to Let's Get Naked. I've barely stopped wearing it this month, I love the formula and I'll definitely be picking up more of these. I've been pairing both of these with the Benefit Ultra Plush Lipgloss in A-Lister, a true peach gloss that isn't sticky at all, but adds a gorgeous shine to the lips.

In the eye department, I've been rediscovering my love for the Max Factor Kohl Pencil in 020 black, which has been my favourite black pencil since puberty struck, and I went nowhere unless I was sporting heavily kohl rimmed lids. This is the blackest of black pencils and it has awesome staying power. I've been pairing this with my Max Factor False Lash Effect Mascara, which gives really thick, full, long lashes with not a clump in sight. 

There was little chance that the NARS One Night Stand Palette wasn't going to be in this favourites. I am absolutely obsessed with this palette, the colours are gorgeous and the staying power is second to none. Surprisingly, one of my favourite shades has been Mistinguette, the barbie-esque matte pink, that really perks up your complexion. I also love the highlighter in this palette, it looks gorgeous under the brow bone. 

One skincare favourite, and I've gotten through about half a bottle of the Lush Tea Tree Water. At the beginning of the month my skin was being a bit strange, and I was struggling to shift a few pesky blemishes. I swapped out my usual toner for this, I've been spraying it directly onto my skin in the evenings, and on a cotton pad in the morning, and it's done wonders. Its' antibacterial so it's fab for congested skin. 

Lastly, I wanted to mention a candle that I have just been in love with, it smells like mulled wine, and the scent throw is so incredible that just having the lid off fills the room with a warm and spicy fragrance. I found this in TKMaxx, and I'm definitely going to pop back and look for a second.

What have been your favourite products this month? What are you most looking forward to about Christmas?

The Best Of Bourjois

Bourjois was one of the first brands I used when I first started to use makeup, I remember buying one of their little round pot blushes, and lusting over a grey toned shadow with big flecks of silver glitter *inward shudder* for the longest time. Now my collection of products from Bourjois is pretty small, but there's a few loves in here.

THE HITS

Healthy Balance Powder: I hated this when I first got it, (see this review here) but I've grown to love it, and it's now one of those products I just have to have in my hand bag.  It's got good coverage, and it's mattifying without taking away the radiance of your face. Big thumbs up from me, but I do think it's a little overpriced!

Healthy Mix Serum: this is the first Bourjois foundation I ever bought, and I was massively impressed. Shade range is a bit off, but I could say that about all of these foundations. Good coverage, lovely finish, smells great. Not one for oily skins though, this definitely sits on the dewy side of things. You can read my full review here.

Healthy Mix Concealer (not photographed): I forgot to pull this out of my handbag for a photo, but you guys have seen it before. This is my favourite blemish concealer from the highstreet, it's got awesome coverage whilst being really natural on the skin. Plus I don't think it's ever going to run out.

Healthy Mix Foundation: not to be confused with it's radiant sister. This foundation is quite similar to the Benefit Hello Flawless one, but I find the finish of this a little more dewy. I prefer this foundation to the serum in the winter, and the serum in the summer.

Bronzing Primer: I wrote a full review of this quite recently, I don't use this as a primer, I use it as a cream bronzer, and I love it. You can read my review here.

Colour Boost Lip Crayons: I'm not a massive fan of the shade range of these crayons, but I love these two colours, Red Sunrise and Plum Russian. They're really easy to apply, super moisturising, and the colour is good too.

Rouge High Tech Lip Tints: These have been discontinued now, but they are excellent, they're little pots with a doe foot applicator of liquid lip tint (think Benetint, but a thicker formula). I have four colours, and I like them on their own with a slick of lip balm, or under brighter colours as a base.

Shimmer Shadow Pot: again, I'm not sure if Bourjois still do these, I've had this for so long. This was a firm favourite for dance shows, it's basically just a silver shimmer pigment, but it's quite lovely. 

THE MISSES

Happy Light Foundation: I've tried, I really have. I just cannot for the life of me get this to work. This is the lightest shade (I have shade 50 in this, but 51 in the Healthy Mix Foundation, and 52 in the serum) but it is so so orange, and it oxidises on the skin. I don't even think the finish is all that great, I have very normal skin, but this turns me into an oil slick. I'm going to pass this on to my sister and see if she can make it work, since she's got darker skin than me, but this has to be a thumbs down for me.

Little Round Pot Blush: this might have been a firm favourite of 13 year old me, but 19 year old me thinks these are chalky, powdery with bad staying power. Sorry Bourjois!

Eyeshadow: I also have a eyeshadow trio from Bourjois but I couldn't find it anywhere. These eyeshadows are just so chalky, there's barely any pigment to them, and the shimmer ones and big scratchy chunks of glitter in that if you can get them on your eyes, itches like mad.

I really want to try the nail polishes from Bourjois next, but whenever I go to look for them, they never have the full shade range. What are your favourite products from Bourjois? Have you tried any of these products?

Top Five Concealers

Concealer is my best friend. Insomniac and frequent pizza-muncher, I often have dark circles and blemishes to hide from the rest of the world, and I have a fully equipped arsenal to deal with that.

For the most part I do think you get what you pay for with concealers, I have tried a whole lotta high street concealers and for the most part, they really haven't done what I need them too. I should also address something that I'm sure a lot of people are going to hate me for. I do not like the Collection Lasting Perfection Concealer. There, I said it. I think it's super cakey, and fake looking, plus the stuff oxidises like mad, and makes my skin look dark over blemishes. Not what I had in mind.

Anyway, onto the products I do like. First up, the Nars Radiant Creamy Concealer, the priciest of the bunch at £21, but my favourite. This is a thick, creamy formula that is high coverage but also slightly brightening. I use this on my undereyes mostly, but if I'm going somewhere special or I know I'm going to be photographed lots, I'll use this to cover blemishes and redness too, since it gives the most coverage whilst still looking really natural, since this blends into your skin seamlessly, whether you are wearing foundation or not. It's got a doe foot applicator which means it's super precise. I like to dot this under the eyes and blend with the Real Techniques Duo-Fibre Eye brush, or put a little on the end of my finger and pat it directly onto a blemish, and keep patting til it's all blended. 

Next up, Bourjois Healthy Mix Concealer, which I would say is pretty similar to the Nars offering, but a little thicker and not brightening. This is my daily go to for blemishes, and adding extra coverage to areas I know are prone to redness throughout the day. It's really high coverage and it lasts really well throughout the day. It's pretty pricey for drugstore, coming in at £7.99, but you only need the tiniest bit, so it lasts for ages.

Boi-ing is one I've had for a while now, I like to think of this as a concealer primer, if that makes sense? Don't get me wrong, it's an amazing concealer, but I actually like to pat this onto blemishes or redness before my foundation, so it gets rid of any redness prior too, since it can look a little heavy on top of foundation, mostly because I like quite a glowy base and this is pretty matte.When my under eye circles are really bad, I like to take this on my fingertips, warm it up, and pat it under my eyes, not too close to the lashline, before going in with a brightening concealer.

MAC Studio Finish is a very heavy duty concealer, with masses of coverage. A little of this on a detailer brush is your blemished skin's best friend. It is heavy, and it is thick, which is why I never use it under my eyes, but for spots it's great. Seriously good staying power and great coverage. Same price as a lipstick too, only £15 and you need the smallest amount.

Last but certainly not least is Rimmel Wake Me Up, the only concealer of the bunch I have repurchased so far. This is the cheapest of these five offerings, at a mere £5.49. This is the concealer I reach for to really brighten up my under eyes. It's coverage offering is not as good as the Nars concealer, but it really does brighten the area, and you can build it up quite a lot without it creasing. I rushed out to repurchase this before I even ran out, because I really didn't fancy being without it! 

Have you tried any of these concealers? What is your favourite concealer?

Best Burgers in London

Any of you who follow me on Instagram will know my favourite naughty indulgence of a Friday night, is to head out with friends for burgers, shakes and a cocktail or two. It's been over a year now since I moved to London, and in that time I have definitely got the burger thing down. Next time you're in the capital, here are my reccs.

Five Guys

Best For:  The fast food option. This is greasy american fast food at it's best, we're talking plastic cheese, sesame seed buns, and tasty tasty meat. You honestly don't even need chips here, the burgers will fill you up enough, trust me. So so good, the perfect mid-shopping trip pick-me-up, handily located just off Leicester Square.

Give it a miss if: You're allergic to nuts, since everything is cooked in peanut oil. Or if you aren't into fast food, but I promise, this ain't no McDonalds.

I Order: The Bacon Cheeseburger with BBQ sauce, mayo, tomato, lettuce and grilled onions, and a Strawberry Fanta (my all time favourite soft drink). If I'm still hungry (unlikely) I'll have some chips too.

Burgers & Cocktails

Best For: Burgers and Cocktails? No seriously, they have a small but quite different array of Burgers, the sloppy joe fries and Mozzarella sticks are fab too, and I wholeheartedly reccommend ordering a jug of Strawberry & Lime Mojitos, even if you aren't usually a mojito fan (they add Strawberry and Lime Rekorderlig Cider which makes it taste incredible). A good stop for after work drinks and burgers, or for a leisurely lunch with friends. Handily situated just off St Christopher's Place, rather close to Selfridges.

Give it a miss if: you're in a rush or on a diet. The staff in here are fab, but it's not the best for quick service. If you aren't in a rush you won't mind since everybody is lovely, but just a tad slow. 

I Order: a good old cheeseburger, and then go wild with sides. I love the sloppy joe fries and mozzarella sticks, and if it's too early for a mojito, the cookies and cream shakes are amazing.

Handmade Burger Co.

Best for: choice. The menu is home to over forty different burgers, but they encourage you to take the best bits of each and create your own. They've got beef, chicken, lamb, stuffed burgers and bunless burgers. All the food is really fresh too, you can taste the herbs in the burgers, and the chips are so soft and fluffy they're unreal. We had a lengthy chat with the owner in there this weekend, who told us how all the chips are freshly made in the kitchens every morning, and that none of their food is frozen. All their chicken is halal too. Soft drinks are bottomless as well, which is good cause you'll need it to wash down the food.

Give it a miss if: you want to be waited on. It's all Nando's style here.

I order: the peppered beef burger, which has caramelised onions & peppercorn sauce, one portion of chips to share (they're huge) and onion rings. Wash it all down with a Lemon Meringue Sundae.

Giraffe

Best For: if you can't make up your mind. This place isn't strictly a burger place, just home to a few good'uns. So if you fancy a burger but your whole party doesn't, this is your place. They do Bar Buddies too in the evenings where drinks are half price.

Give it a miss if: you're after a fancy burger. Since it's not technically a burger restaurant, the choice is limited but good.

I Order: something different every time. 

GBK

Best for: a good value lunch. During the week they do a lunch menu with a burger and side for £5.95, meaning it totally fits my student budget. The burgers are good, but I go here for the skinny fries with HeiHei salt, yummmmm.

Give it a miss if: you're a fan of Byron. You're Team GBK or Byron, you can't be both.

I Order: A cheeseburger, skinny fries, homeslaw & a Strawberry and Elderflower Fizz. 

ShakeShack

 Best For: the shakes, duh. Honest to god the milkshakes are amazing. I love the basic strawberry milkshakes here, but I'm also a fan of the Salted Caramel Concrete, which is like frozen custard (read: frozen calories). I love the cheese sauce on the fries too, and the burgers are yummy.

Give it a miss if: you're after a gourmet burger. They're nice, but they're basic. Also the hot dogs are good, but very small, they aren't a meal!

I Order: A cheeseburger, cheesy fries, and a strawberry milkshake.

Meat Liquor

Best For: burgers. Hands down my absolute favourite, if you don't mind queuing to get in (I've been on a friday night and only had to queue for 15 minutes outside, and then wait 10 minutes at the bar, which is fine because they bring around onion rings and chicken wings while you wait), this place is home to my favourite burgers in London. The burgers come in delicious toasted brioche buns, and are the tastiest things you will ever taste, the chilli cheese fries are incredible, and the onion rings are the biggest and best onion rings you will have in your life. I love watching the overenthusiastic barmen making drinks too. There's an awesome atmosphere in this place, it's definitely my favourite Friday night spot.

Give it a miss if: you don't like queuing, loud music, and dark rooms. It's all part of the atmosphere in the place, but it is noisy and you will have to shout across the table. 

I Order: a cheese and bacon burger, chilli cheese fries, loads of onion rings, and a Jameson and Coke.

Well now I'm hungry. I hope you guys found this useful, and maybe it'll give you a few ideas for where to lunch next time you're in central London.

Where are your favourite places to get burgers?

The Review: Benefit Hydra Smooth Lip Colours

Benefit relaunched a ton of their makeup this year, and whilst at the time, I wasn't all that bothered, I appear to have fallen for their lipsticks.

The Hydra Smooth Lipsticks have a strange feel on the lips, they aren't glossy or matte, but they are very very smooth. The formula contains Shea Butter, Vitamin E and Mango Butter, making them smooth and hydrating too. They glide really easily onto the lips. They have a slightly strange slanted tip, which Benefit says is to aid application and make it more precise, which I'm not sure I agree with, I think they're probably just as precise as your average shaped lipstick.

The packaging of these is seriously love it or hate it. The boxes they come in are super cute, but I can't really think of a secondary way to use them, so I ended up chucking them, which is a shame. The lipstick bullet itself is pretty strange, they kinda remind me of big greek pillars, which is cute, but not necessarily how I want my lipsticks to look. The lids are kind of clumsy, and 9 times out of 10 I end up mushing the end of the lipstick putting the lid back on. They're kind of big and clumsy, and not particularly luxurious. I think I prefer something a little sleeker (Urban Decay Revolution Lipsticks, ahem). I feel this way about a lot of Benefit packaging though, I don't think it's nice enough considering the price, some of it I think is cute, but other things, this and Fine One One in particularly seems quite cheap in real life. In terms of lasting power, these are some of the longest lasting lippies I've tried.

I have two colours, Talk Flirty, a bright, Orchid-esque pink, and Fling Thing, which is a medium toned berry shade. Both are very easy to wear with any eye look!

These retail for £15, but I've been picking these up on Debenhams 10% off days! I think £15 is pretty good though, it's the same as MAC and Urban Decay, and much cheaper than other high end brands.

Have you tried these lipsticks? What are your favourite Benefit products?

What's On My Face #3 - Everyday Makeup

 I've been favouring a more natural look recently, peachy nude lips and a gentle smokey eye with a slick of pink blush has been what it's about.

On this particular day I used my Real Techniques Buffing Brush to blend Max Factor's Facefinity foundation into my skin. This is my favourite high street foundation, incredible coverage but still looks natural. I used my NARS Radiant Creamy Concealer under my eyes to brighten them up. I would usually use my Bourjois Healthy Mix Concealer too on any blemishes or red areas, but I was surprisingly blemish free, and this foundation covers redness incredibly well.

I then took my Nars Laguna Bronzer on a Real Techniques Powder brush under my cheekbones, and on my temples to add a little colour and give my chubby cheeks a slight contour. I then patted the Chanel Creme Blush in Revelation onto the apples of my cheeks with my finger, and blended it out with the Real Techniques Expert Face Brush. I've tried loads of ways to apply this blush, and this is by far my favourite, it gives a very flawless finish and you can build it up this way too. 

Then onto my eyes, I skipped brows, just combing them through with a spoolie, and setting them in place with a clear mascara. I then took my Naked palette, and ran Buck, a medium matte brown, through my crease and outer corner, blending it loads with a fluffy brush, before packing Toasted, a shimmery pink, onto the lid with my MAC 215 which is my favourite brush for that. I blended it all again before adding a tiny bit of MAC Sketch into the outer corner, because I decided I wanted a little more definition. I also ran this under my lower lash line on a detailer blush. I then used my Max Factor Kohl Liner to tightline my eyes, as well as a little on my upper lash line for definition, and then added a little of the Max Factor False Lash Effect Mascara to my upper and lower lashes. 

I then took my Real Techniques powder brush again, this time with the Hourglass Ambient Lighting Powder in Dim Light to set my makeup, it gives the most flawless finish. I also took a tiny bit of Incandescent light under my browbone and on the inner corners of my eyes to highlight. Finished off with the Bobbi Brown Sheer Creamy Lip Colour in Tutu, which I am obsessed with at the moment. 

What do you think of this look? Have you used any of these products? What makeup have you been wearing recently?

What's in my Shower?

Today I thought I would show you the products that I use all the time, but that rarely get a mention on the blog, so we're having a peek in my shower.

I'm pretty fickle when it comes to body wash, but other than that, I generally have all the same products in my shower from month to month.

There are no windows in my bathroom so sorry for the horrible lighting!

So this is just a cheapy shower hanger thing that I picked up for under a fiver in Ikea, it's starting to get a little rusty now so it's probably time to pick up a new one, but it does the job just fine.

The top shelf is the most packed. Up there I have my Nivea In Shower Moisturiser (this is my second bottle, I love this stuff), the L'Oreal Ever Riche Nourishing and Taming Shampoo & Conditioner, which is my daily go-to hair duo, and then Soap & Glory Peaches and Clean Face Wash, which I'm trying to use up, I do like it but it's nothing special. 

Then behind that I have my shaving cream from Satin Care by Gillette, this is the only shaving cream that doesn't make my legs rashy, for some reason my legs just don't like the stuff! It doesn't really smell of anything, but if it doesn't make me all dotty, that's fine by me. Next to that is two shampoos my boyfriend uses, the V05 Extreme Style Shampoo & Conditioner in one, and then the Elemis Aromizing Shampoo, which smells good but is a little too watery. In there as well is my favourite body wash, the Original Source Vanilla & Raspberry Scent which you need to go smell. Delicious.

Second shelf is a bit of a mish mash, there's an awkward upside down tube of No7 Melting Gel Cleanser, I've said before that the packaging of this is horrendous, this is my third tube where the lid has snapped off, so I have to precariously balance this at the back upside down. I'm just trying to use this up now and I won't repurchase it unless they change the packaging! Next to that is the shower gel I use in the mornings, The Body Shop Peach gel. I thought I was going to love this but it's a bit meh, I actually prefer the NSpa Peach shower gel, and it's much cheaper. Then there is the face scrub my boyfriend uses, and my favourite face wash, it's from & Other Stories and it's their Perfectly Purifying Cleansing Gel.

Then there's my Sally Hansen Foot File which is fab for keeping your feet silky smooth, and my Gold Fun from Lush which I am currently stockpiling because I love the scent but it's limited edition for Christmas. I literally have two more of these in my freezer.

Bottom shelf is another random one, there's a bottle of Paul Smith Shower Gel my boyfriend is trying to use up (I think he's had it since 2006). Next to that is my current body scrub, Soap and Glory Sugar Crush, which I love the scent of, but it's not as good as The Breakfast Scrub. Then we have my Ocean Salt Face Scrub, this is almost empty but I'll definitely repurchase this, it scrubs your skin whilst hydrating it to the max. On top of that is my Lush NEW shampoo bar, I use this once a week since it's super clarifying, and it's supposed to encourage hair growth. And lastly, my Lee Stafford Hair Mask that you all know I love. Also hanging from this is a Body Shop Pumice Stone* which is nice, but not as good as the foot file. 

And lastly, the bits that don't fit, there's my Soap and Glory shower gels which never seem to end, and my boyfriends body wash too, as well as a Radox Bubble bath that I like to use in the evenings, or if I don't have any Lush Bath Bombs (which isn't often, I panic if I have less than two bombs and a bubble bar).

The Best Of Maybelline

Ahh Maybelline. There are a few products from Maybelline that I use all the time, if not daily, but I don't have anywhere near as many products from them as I thought before I sat down to write this post. I think that Maybelline was a brand I reached for in my early teens, when I was first starting to wear makeup, and now, there are a few goodies I reach for, but for the most part, if I'm going drugstore, I generally look elsewhere. 

THE HITS

Mega Plush Mascara: Maybelline do mascaras well. They have tonnes so there really is something for everyone in the line. They are cheap and cheerful and do the job well. I reach for this for everyday lashes, a little volume, a little length, separation and definition, without being too much.

Baby Lips: You guys know I love this. I use the Intense Care one every morning before applying my makeup, to prep my lips for colour, and I use the tinted ones on days when I want sheer colour. These are only £2.99, nice and moisturising and give a good pop of colour. I love the packaging too.

24h Colour Tattoo in On and On Bronze: A sheer, but buildable true bronze cream shadow that is easily applied and sets all day. Great base for shadow, but also looks great alone.

Eye Studio Gel Eyeliner: I've tried a lot of gel liners, Bobbi Brown, Mac, Benefit, but this is my favourite. It doesn't dry out quickly, it's jet black and it sets and stays jet black all day. 

Colour Sensational Vivid Lipstick in Pink Punch: I love this colour, it's a bold, but very wearable bright pink. I like the formula of these, but I find all the other colours in the line a bit off.

Brow Drama: My current go to brow setting product. Great shaped wand that allows you to coat the hairs and not half your face, holds your brows in place for the day well, whilst adding enough of a tint to disguise any sparse areas.

Fit Me Concealer: Since I don't get on with the Collection Lasting Perfection concealer, I went on a drugstore dash looking for a good coverage, reasonably priced concealer. I do like this, but I don't find it wears particularly well, and I do need to top up by mid afternoon. It's nice under the eyes though, but I still need to use a brightening concealer if I use this.

Dream Matte Mousse: I couldn't not include this, after it served my teenage skin so well. I don't use it anymore since I find it way too heavy, but for oily or blemished skin it's great, it's very high coverage and leaves a matte finish. Shade range is iffy but if your pale, it's great. 

Nail Polishes: I completely forgot to photograph these, but I have six or seven polishes from Maybelline, at least one of each different formula and I really like them all. The best by far are the Colour Stay 7 Day Gel Polishes, that are super pigmented and very glossy.

THE MISSES

The Rocket Volum' Express Mascara: I'm aware that a lot of people really like this mascara, but I really can't get on with it. I find it really clumpy, and way too thick, and I always end up blobbing it on my face. I did only buy it because of the name though.

24h Colour Tattoo in Permanent Taupe: I thought I would love this since I loved On and On Bronze, but this is a matte finish and just so dry and hard, it's almost impossible to work with. I also find that if I manage to get it on, it makes me look sick. Nice.

Fit Me Powder: I found this powder really chalky and it smelt funny too. I put it on my face and really just don't feel like it does anything at all. 

Fit Me Foundation: I ended up giving this to a friend since it really didn't work for me at all. The first problem is that the idea of this range is that there is the perfect colour match for everyone. LIES. I went for the closest match, but it oxidised on my skin and left me a rather fetching shade of Dorito. Also, this stuff made my skin really oily, and I have normal to dry skin. Weird stuff. However, aforementioned friend loves the stuff, and has repurchased it twice since, so it's definitely a personal preference.

What do you think of Maybelline? Did you love any of the products I didn't like, or dislike any of the ones I love? What do I need to try next?

The Review: Lush Santa Lip Scrub

I've been a Lush Lip Scrub fan for a while now, after tracking down a Popcorn scrub in an obscure branch when it was sold out everywhere. However, I wasn't in love with the taste, it's more salted caramel than popcorn.

This year however, I struck gold with the Christmas Edition of the scrub. The Santa's lip scrub is cola bottle flavour. Yes cola bottle. Possible the scrummiest thing ever, and it smells incredible too. The formula is a little different to the original, I find the Popcorn one quite coarse and dry, whereas this is a little more like a body scrub formula, it sticks together and isn't as lumpy and harsh, making it better for everyday use.

I use this everyday as part of my evening skincare routine, and the difference it makes to my lips is incredible, especially as we head into the chapped lip territory of Winter. These come in at around the five pound mark, making them a brilliant stocking filler too! Or if you're like my mum who likes to pop personalised pressies into our Christmas Crackers (last year I got a gorgeous shimmery Model's Own polish) this is great for that too. 

Do you use a lip scrub?

Top Five High End Blushes

Continuing with the Top Five series slowly but surely, today I thought I'd share with you my favourites from the pricier end of the blush spectrum. Blush is one section of my collection that isn't all that big, I know what I like and I stick with it, and generally I only wear these ones. You'll see that they are all fairly similar, nothing too wild!

 Sugarbomb has been my go to blush for about a year now, it's just so easy to wear and it goes with every makeup look. The colours swirl together to create a lightly shimmery deep coral, that leans towards the pink side of things. A little of this on the apples of the cheeks really brightens the complexion, and gives a super natural flush to the cheeks. The wear time is great as with all Benefit Blushes, and it smells amazing too. 

The most luxurious of my picks has to be the Chanel Creme Blush in Revelation. I've been banging on about this since I got it but I just love it that much. I'm not big on cream blushes, I generally find them fiddly to apply and the lasting power tends to lack, but this I just adore. The colour is my perfect blush colour, it gives me a true 'just been out in the cold' or 'awww don't make me blush' pop of colour. It's really easy to apply too, I just pat this onto the apples of my cheeks and blend with my Real Techniques Expert Face brush. With a good primer underneath, this lasts all day. 

I didn't want to include a limited edition blush in this but I couldn't help myself. This is MAC's Ripe for Love from the Temperature Rising Collection at the beginning of the year. It's similar to MAC Peaches, but a little darker, I tend to skip bronzer when I go for this. This is gorgeous with a bronzey smokey eye and a coral or nude lip. It's a dark peach with no shimmer, but it still adds a fair bit of dimension to the skin. Looks beautiful with Benefit Sunbeam over the top, or the Hourglass Ambient Lighting powder in Radiant Light.

 Another Benefit blush, because I just love them, Hervana is more of a pinky, almost lilac blush, a bit more wintery than all these corals I seem to have included. Like I said, I love the formulation of Benefit blushes, they're really pigmented and last so well on the skin. I also have Coralista which I love (obviously, it's another coral).

Well I couldn't not include a Nars blush could I? Infact, I could have included every Nars blush, but I was restrained (ha!). I'm so glad that Orgasm was in this palette, since I lost my beloved Orgasm Blush a while back. This has been one of my favourites for a few years now, it's the perfect coral, with a hint of golden shimmer. Love love love.

Have you tried any of these blushes? What are your favourite high end blushes? Are there anymore Top Fives you'd like to see?

 

The Christmas Gift Guide: NARS Promiscuous Lip Set

 What better Christmas Gift for a beauty lover, than a set of five miniature Nars Lip Pencils? 

Nars have really done well with their Christmas Collection this year, there's a really good selection and they are great value for money too. These pencils retail for £17.50 full size, so to get all of these, plus a makeup bag for £30 is a pretty good deal.

In the set are four Velvet Matte Pencils and one one Velvet Gloss.

New Lover is the only Velvet Gloss pencil of the bunch. It's a pretty light pink colour, the bullet looks slightly shimmery, but that doesn't translate on the lips. It's a great everyday colour, that kinda goes with everything, I particularly love it with this blush (Chanel Creme Blush in Revelation). 

Sex Machine is a lot lighter a pick than I would usually go for, and it's the mattest of the bunch. I exfoliated my lips and put on balm before putting this on and it still made my lips look dry and cracked, so I think it would probably need a balm or gloss on top. However, I do quite like the colour, more than I thought I would. I'll probably wear this a lot more in the spring!

Never Say Never is another colour I wouldn't normally choose, it's a barbie-esque blue toned pink, but again I really like this. This one didn't feel anywhere near as matte as Sex Machine, it didn't tug on the lips when I applied it, and it felt smooth. The wear time of the matte pencils is amazing, I got nearly eight hours wear out of this before I topped it up.

Dolce Vita is a weird one, in the bullet it looks like a terracotta sort of colour, but on the lips it's more of a dark peach pink, it's quite subtle and could almost be classed as a nude. I've been wearing this a tonne the last few weeks, and I really like it. 

Ahhh matte red lips. This is what I will be sporting for 99% of the Christmas season. Cruella is a true red, brighter than MAC's Ruby Woo, comparable in colour to M.A.C Red, but with a matte finish. This to me is the perfect holiday lip colour, the wear time is incredible, and whilst it's matte, it's not in any way drying. 

Nars did a really good job when picking what colours to include, each of these pencils is really wearable, and there's something for everyone. This is a great little gift set, for a fellow beauty lover, or a treat for yourself! I love the makeup bag too, it's perfect for keeping all my beauty bits together in my handbag.

After trying all these, I've started a bit of a love affair with Nars Lip Pencils, and I'll definitely be stopping by the counter to have a look at a few more...

Have you tried any Nars Lip Pencils? Which of these is your favourite?