Maybelline Vivid Matte Liquid Lipsticks

Liquid lipsticks are EVERYWHERE at the moment. It seems as though you can’t go into any beauty store without having at least 23743 different options to choose and it’s all a *tiny* bit overwhelming. Maybelline’s new Vivid Mattes are one of the best options on the high street, and with loads of different shades to choose from, there’s something for everyone!

The Vivid Mattes are super pigmented - you only need one swipe to get full coverage on the lips, even with the lighter shades. They have a creamy texture and a nicely shaped applicator that make getting a perfect lip line very, very easy.

Although they carry the name ‘Matte’, I’d say these dry down to a semi-matte finish. If you prefer something completely matte, then I’d recommend looking elsewhere. That said, it does make these a lot more comfortable on the lips than many others I’ve tried; they’re also much more forgiving if you’re slightly dry around the lip area.

The core range features eight shades. They’ve covered off a really decent base of colours, with everything from a dusky pink, right through to a fire engine red. I’d like to see a few more nude shades added over time as there’s a definite focus on the bolder ones, but hopefully that will be part of future launches.

My favourite shade is Nude Flush as it’s so easy to wear, followed up closely by Electric Pink. Electric Pink is definitely one for those confident days as it’s pretty bright, but the blue base makes it very flattering to wear for cool-toned skin and it also makes your teeth look brighter. Double win.

Vivid Mattes cost £6.99 each and can be found across all Maybelline stockists. If you can snap them up during a 3 for 2 offer, then do it and pat yourself on the back for £13 well spent.

Have you tried Maybelline’s Vivid Mattes? What are your favourite liquid lipsticks?

*contains PR samples

Lavera Re-Energizing Sleeping Cream Review and Giveaway

I'm a big fan of any product that gets to work while I sleep, which is just one of the reasons why I'm loving Laveras new Re-Energizing Sleeping Cream. Our bodies use sleep as a time for cell repair and regeneration, so it’s the perfect time to use something that will help boost these effects.

Lavera are an affordable German brand that focuses on all things natural, organic and vegan-friendly. The brand was founded back in 1987 by Thomas Hasse, who suffered from sensitive skin and struggled to find a solution in the mainstream market. They’ve expanded massively over the past 25 years and now have several hundred people working for them in Germany, and are stocked all over Europe. They're a regular fixture in my bathroom - you might have seen me mention their lip balms or delicious smelling shower gels (the Exotic one smells so good you’ll want to lick yourself) before.

The Re-Energizing Sleeping Cream has been designed to energise and revitalise your complexion overnight. It comes with 5 key benefits: intense moisture, skin revitalisation, anti-fatigue, smoother skin and it also helps to promote your skins natural regeneration.

If you find you often wake up looking less than rested (*raises hand*), then you need a pot of this in your life. I've been using it every other night over the past couple of weeks and have been really impressed with how good my skin looks in the morning. It’s much plumper, more radiant and with fewer ‘my face has been smushed against the pillow all night’ creases. Although it doesn’t mention it as a benefit on the box, I’ve also found that it calms any redness in my cheeks overnight, leaving me with a much more even complexion in the morning.

The cream uses a mixture of organic almond and olive oils for nourishment, as well as organic grape and vitamin E for revitalisation. It’s quite a rich-textured cream, but it sinks in easily and I think it would work for virtually all skin types. I love the fact that it’s not heavily scented – it has a light perfume to it from the natural ingredients, but nothing too overpowering, which is perfect for night-time.

You can find it via the Lavera website priced £16.90.

Win your own Re-Energizing Sleeping Cream

I’m also giving 6 lucky readers a chance to win their own pot! All you have to do to enter is complete your chosen entry methods via the Rafflecopter widget below.

The winners will be picked at random shortly after the competition closes and contacted directly to claim their prize. The competition ends at 11.59pm on Friday 3rd June and is open to UK only entries. Good luck!

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Are you a fan of Lavera? Do you like the sound of this new night cream?

*contains sponsored content, but as always, all opinions my own

Fashion: a walk among the flowers

Late last week, I headed out of central London for an afternoon at Eltham Palace with The White Company. Cue major excitement at ALL the delicious food and yummy cocktails as well as the wonderful gardens of Eltham Palace.

If you've not been there before, it's well worth the trip. It takes about 20 minutes on the train from central London and before you know it you're in a complete oasis of historic buildings with a crazy art deco interior and enormous gardens that have plenty of perfect picnic spots and opportune moments for outfit photos.

Which brings me on nicely to these pictures. I made a promise to myself to be more present on the blog and wanted to include the odd outfit related post. With the help of the lovely Chloe and some rather tasty floral backgrounds, I managed a few shots that don't look unbelievable awkward (just a little bit awkward, haha). So thank you Chloe.

Clearly I won't be the next new fashion model, but I don't think there are enough blogs with size 12/14 fashion on and so I'll be adding some in from time to time.

As you can see, I was SO not ready for summer yet. We were spending the afternoon outside in the middle of May, which for me meant a floaty, 70s inspired Zara dress, some M&S Chelsea Boots and a leather biker jacket just in case it got cold. Which it didn't. Fully regret wearing tights. I also brought along my trusty Burberry bag (thank you God for Bicester Village) which managed to hold about two tons of crap and still look nice.

I love this dress as it skims any bumpy bits nicely, but is still fitted enough to show off the fact that you have a shape. Part of me wishes I had bought two of them so I could have one as an emergency spare, but let's face it, that's probably not a clever way to stock my wardrobe!

Anyhow, this has turned into a bit of a ramble, so thanks for bearing with me. More fashion/outfits to come over the next few weeks...

Primark PS...Pro makeup range

I have a *tiny* Primark related shopping problem. I blame it on working just up the road from one of their flagship London locations - cheeky lunchtime hauls are far too easy to do. I've lost count of the number of times I've gone to Pret for my lunch and came back with a new top/dress/sandals/all of the above. Oops.

One area that I've not paid much attention to in Primark is the beauty section. It's somewhere I hit up for budget friendly nail files and the odd pack of cotton pads but the makeup has never really appealed to me. Until now. 

Primark have just launched their PS...Pro range, which focuses on high performance makeup at affordable prices. There are a huge amount of different products and shades available and with everything ranging from £2 to £5 it's hard not to be impressed. 

I've been testing out the range over the past few weeks and thought it was high time to share my thoughts with you. 

The Pro Miracle Pencil and Pro Universal Lip Pencil are something everyone needs to add to their makeup collections. One is a clear lip liner that stops lipstick from feathering and the other is a nude, skin coloured shade that can easily be used to overline your lips to give them a fuller appearance. £2 each. 

There are three primers in the range: mattifying, illuminating and a 'miracle' version. I love the Illuminating one as it gives a radiant effect to the skin either underneath makeup or dotted on top as a highlighter. The Mattifying one is a bit too matte for my skin type, but if you're very oily then it's well worth a try. £5 each. The same also goes for their Longwear Mineralized Foundation - it's got great medium to full coverage and comes in five shades (one even matches my skintone!) but is best suited for combination to oily skins as it has quite a matte finish to it. 

I also love the CC Concealer Palette - it's a fantastic high street dupe of the Tarte Corrector Palette I reviewed recently and offers five different correcter shades for just £5. 

While the satin formula of the Rich Colour Lipsticks is great, the packaging feels slightly flimsy. The shade selection is really lovely - there's a couple of nude shades, as well as a classic red, hot pink and a bolder damson shade. They last well on the lips and only need a few swipes to get really good colour coverage. £3 each. 

Out of the entire collection, there are only a few things I didn't really get on well with. One was the Longwear Graphic Eyeliner - the nib was quite hard and not easy to get a fine line with - and the other was the High Definition Mascara which was very clumpy and not as volumising as I'd have liked. 

All in all I think this range is a bit of a hit for Primark. If you've often wandered by the beauty section, make sure you stop next time you're in there. I think you'll find a few bits make it into your basket! 

Are you a fan of Primark's beauty range? What other products should I be looking out for? 

*contains PR samples

Artis makeup brushes - Oval 6 review

My first thought about Artis brushes was ‘hmm…these look weird’, which was quickly followed up by ‘OMFG they are the softest thing EVER’. They don’t look like your traditional makeup brushes. In fact, they’re about as different as you could get while still being called a brush.

Artis were developed with beauty users in mind. While traditional brushes are easy to use by makeup artists and are designed to apply product onto someone else, they’re not always the easiest of things to get to grips with when using on your own face. So Artis went to a whole new level and redeveloped brushes as we knew them.

The densely-packed, cruelty-free, synthetic fibres make your product go a really long way, while the round and oval shapes mean that they can be used for a variety of uses across the eyes, lips and face.

There are ten brushes in total in the range, many of which can be used for multiple purposes. The Oval 6 brush that I’ve been testing is a great example of this – it works fantastically for anything contour, blush or highlighter related, as well as giving a flawless finish to liquid and cream foundations. If you only buy one brush from the range, make it this one. It’s super versatile and I reckon will replace at least 50% of the brushes you currently have in your collection.

The shape and length of the handle does take some getting used to, but after a bit of practice, it becomes second nature. Small, soft strokes tend to give the best results – I tried a smaller brush at the recent launch event and managed to blend my eye shadow in 2 seconds flat. The smaller ones are also surprisingly precise when it comes to lipstick application. I managed to apply mine in less than half the time it would usually take and with a very neat line, despite the circular shape.

Artis recommend purchasing one of their cleansing pad and a bottle of brush cleaner alongside any brush purchases. The cleansing pad definitely comes in VERY useful, as it makes it simple to give the brushes a quick clean in between uses, especially if you want to use the same brush for different products on the same day.

Brushes start at £28 and go up to £60, so definitely compare against MAC prices and are well worth the investment in my eyes. Unless you’re a MUA, you probably don’t need brushes like the Oval 10 as they’re designed for application on the body, but I’d definitely get started with the Oval 6 (£44) and Circle 1 (£28).

You can find Artis at Space NK and Net-a-Porter.

Do you like the look of this new brush line?

*contains PR samples

Skincare: the boosters

We all have those days where our skin/hair/lives could do with a little bit of a boost – I know I’ve been feeling a lot like this all week! One solution for me was to pop my favourite dress on, do my hair real pretty and stick on a bit of lippy even though I was going nowhere except bed. That made me feel a whole load better but didn’t really do much for my dull, tired looking skin. So that’s where these bad boys come in.

There’s a big trend at the moment for skincare boosters – special little products that allow you to add customise your daily skincare regime with a bit of something extra. To give you a glow when you need it, or to help detox the skin when it’s feeling grumpy and hormonal.

Clarins’ new range of Boosters comes in three different types: Detox, Energy and Repair. Depending on how your skin is feeling at the time, you add a drop or two of your chosen booster to your daily moisturiser and then go about your day while it works it’s magic. They’re ultra-concentrated, so not designed to be use on their own, so don’t be tempted to slap a bit extra on for an extra ‘glow’!

I’ve been using the Energy Booster over the past few weeks and have been impressed at how well it revives my skin when I’m feeling tired and gives it a much more radiant effect. It’s perfect for those mornings when you’ve had a totally crap night’s sleep; no-one will ever know! Repairs is next on my list to try as it’s targeted at damaged skin and stressed out skin, so if you’re suffering from redness, have been out in extreme climates or need something soothing, add this one to your list. They’re £30 each, so reasonably affordable for a big skincare brand and can be found at Clarins counters countrywide.

Zelens new range of ‘Power’ drops are based on key ingredient such as Vitamin D, Vitamin C and Vitamin A. Again, these are all targeted at individual needs, but unlike the Clarins drops, can be used alone or alongside your regular skincare regime.

I’ve been testing the Power D drops, which are packed full of provitamin D and bio-mimetic lipids, which work to strengthen the skin’s natural barrier and build up its resilience. If you’re suffering from stress or work in a polluted environment (I’m looking at you London) then you need a bottle of this in your life. While you won’t get an immediate ‘OMFG my skin is amazing’ effect that you might get with the Power A drops (which are retinol based), what you do get is an ongoing feeling that your skin isn’t quite so clogged up or dull from working in a city full of stresses.

If you’re on the hunt for super radiant skin, then I’d also give the Power C drops a try. These contain a potent 20% Vitamin C content which helps support your  collagen production, while also packing in the radiance like there’s no tomorrow.

As you’d expect from Zelens, these definitely fall into the premium category with prices ranging from £110 to £125, but a little goes a long way and I’ve been very impressed with the results. You can find Zelens via Space NK or online from Selfridges and the Zelens website.

Have you tried a skincare booster? Which one would you add into your daily routine?

*contains PR samples

How to: colour correct with the Tarte Rainforest of the Sea Wipeout Colour Corrector Palette

Colour correcting is big news at the moment, with brands everywhere falling over themselves to bring out new lines that will help disguise your redness and hide away those dark circles.

At its simplest, colour correcting simply means using other coloured products to remove or hide unwanted tones in the skin. A lot of it is based on the colour wheel theory, where opposite shades help to balance each other out, but it can be a bit tricky to know where to start.

Tarte's Rainforest of the Sea collection features a seriously good corrector palette (alongside my favourite eye shadow palette this year), so I thought I'd use it to give a little demo on how you can use each of the different shades and where you might want to place them.

Everyone has different skin concerns or areas they're worried about, so you might only need to use one or two shades (in which case, single use products might be more cost effective), but a palette like this is great as your skin changes over the year.

Green – reduces the appearance of any redness in the skin. Good for dabbing around the area of angry looking spots or for covering general redness in the cheeks/nose area.

Peach 1 - brighten under the eyes or use as a concealer for lighter skin tones.

Peach 2 – conceals medium to deep skin tones.

Orange – disguises darkness. A tiny bit of this can work well under concealer to reduce the appearance of dark circles in the eye area.

Yellow – highlights and brightens. Add to the areas you want to catch the light, as well as any that need a bit of a lift.

Warmth – a sculpting, contouring shade. Adds depth to the face around the cheekbones, can be used to sculpt the face and add depth.

All of the correctors in this palette come in a cream formula, so I’d recommend applying them on top of a primer, before foundation or anything powdery. The trick with these is to add a small amount and layer up as needed – I spent a few days working out how much was right for me in different areas before finally perfecting it, but it was well worth the time.

I’d recommend using your fingers to apply these, as I find it works better with the creamy texture. Pat them on and blend gently for the best effect. If you have oily skin, I’d also recommend setting with some powder once you’re finished, as it will help extend their longeivety throughout the day.

While the Warmth and Peach 2 shades are far too dark for me, I think Tarte have done a great job at pulling together a pretty universal palette. Whatever your skin tone, you’re pretty much guaranteed that at least four of the shades will work for you.

The Wipeout palette can be found exclusively via QVC in the UK, priced £34.

Are you a fan of colour correcting? What are your favourite products to use?

*contains PR samples

8 things I'm loving this month

If you only buy a few things this month, make it these. And some food, obvs. But mostly these. Possibly some gin too.

Urban Decay Alice in Wonderland palette - you're probably sick to death of seeing this palette but I don't care. It's possibly the best one from Urban Decay EVER and that's coming from someone who has hit pan on her Naked 2 so much she had to buy a new one. The packaging is to die for and the mix of bright shades and simple neutrals means it will appeal to pretty much everyone. I went to the premier of the new film last week and can definitely confirm that the colour palette really fits in with that of the film. So go get one before they sell out.

Tangle Teezer - not new, but good god your hair will thank you for it, especially with summer humidity, seaside trips and that lovely sunburnt, crispy hair that seems to snap off at any given moment. I love these little babies so much I have three. The obsession is real. But there aren't many things you can use on your hair when it's wet without killing it completely. YAY for Tangle Teezer.

Rhythm 108 Dessert Bars  - the sun has come out and so has my 'shit I've still got my winter fat' panic face, so I'm trying to cut back on the cake habit and lean towards better snacks and treats. Rhythm’s yummy snack bars are all dessert themed, gluten free, organic and come in five flavours (I like Choco-Walnut Brownie and Coconut Macaroon). I have a weird panic about being hungry and not having food so one of these in my handbag for emergencies is the perfect solution.

Sarah Jessica Parker Sheer Lovely – it’s been a while since Sarah Jessica Parker brought out a new fragrance and Sheer Lovely is perfect for summer. It’s a light floral with notes of orange blossom, bergamot and gardenia water and is crisp and light and not too flowery. Even if you weren’t a fan of the original, it’s well worth a sniff  - I find this one much easier to wear. *swishes around pretending to be Carrie Bradshaw*

Cacti  - after killing my boyfriend's prized cactus with too much water love, I thought I should try to make things up to him with a few little cacti as an apology. I friggin’ love succulents and cacti, not only for their extra cute photography potential, but because they really don't need much maintenance to survive. If I can make it through six months without these dying, I'll probably try something more serious like a goldfish...

Make Up For Ever Aqua XL pencils – MUFE’s Aqua range is designed to be waterproof, so I took a shower wearing one of these pencils to see what would happen. And it didn’t budge, even on my waterline. These are possibly the best pencil style liners I’ve ever found – they’re soft enough to apply without dragging, super pigmented and last so well that they need an oil-based remover to take them off. There are 20 shades in total – the turquoise and gold will see me through summer but I’m going back for classic black asap!

Pai Chamomile and Rosehip Calming Day Cream – my skin has not been loving the transitions between the seasons, going from massively dehydrated to stressed out redness (sexy) in one foul swoop. Their Calming Day Cream has been the perfect solution for this as it’s so lovely and calming (it’s also suitable for rosacea-prone skin). I only need a couple of pumps in the morning to fully hydrate my skin all day and it gives a lovely smooth base for my makeup. Like all Pai products, it’s also organic, suitable for sensitive skin and pretty affordable too. £34

Amelia Moss Barbary Fig Oil – facial oils basically form my 90% of my night time skincare routine and I’ve been reaching for this one from Amelia Moss over and over again. Barbary Fig comes from Morocco and Amelia’s oil is 100% organic and cold pressed. As well as its high anti-oxidant properties, it’s also anti-inflammatory, which I’ve found really beneficial for the redness in my skin that often appears. Just a few drops is enough for me at night-time and I always wake up with super soft, supple skin.

What are you loving this month?

*contains PR samples

Afternoon tea at South Lodge, Horsham

Eating cake is one of my favourite past times, so once every couple of months, some friends and I head off to stuff our faces and catch up over afternoon tea. One of the few places we've been back to several times is South Lodge in Horsham - not least because it's a beautiful venue, but because they manage to pull off the most delicious gluten free and regular afternoon teas, so my coeliac friends don't have to miss out.

It’s the kind of place where they don’t judge you for ordering three lots of sandwiches and extra bowls of clotted cream because you’re fully committed the ‘go hard or go home’ approach to afternoon tea. Which is exactly what we did on Sunday. Thank god for elasticated waistbands.

The traditional afternoon tea features everything you’d expect from a really, really good venue. We had crust-free miniature sandwiches filled with egg mayonnaise, smoked salmon, cucumber and chicken, a heaped platter of plain and fruit scones and a selection of delicate pastries and desserts that were almost too good to eat.

I have no idea what they put in the chicken sandwiches, but we all agreed it was some sort of food crack as the delicate herbs and chunky chicken meant that we made our way through three plates of these. #ihavenoregrets

The gluten-free people also did incredibly well with freshly made scones, open sandwiches on gluten free bread and a selection of macarons and gluten free patisserie that looked divine. There was also a choice of around 20 different teas to choose from – I went for trusty Green Tea with Mint but the others sampled Very Berry, South Lodge Blend and Chocolate tea to name a few.

We all agreed that the scones were some of the best we’d tried (even the gluten free ones!) – still slightly warm, with a rich, buttery crust and a slight spring inside. After the obvious debates about whether the jam or cream goes on first, we kind of decided it didn’t matter so long as you had enough clotted cream to leave teeth marks.

As it was a sunny day, we ended up sat outside on their terrace which was lovely, and although it got a bit chilly later on in the afternoon, they had some decent patio heaters to stop us from getting too cold. A cheeky bottle of sparkling Nyetimer wine also didn’t go amiss; turns out England’s version of champagne is really rather good!

The best bit of the South Lodge experience is that even after you’ve stuffed yourself senseless on all the delicious treats, they then give you an extra slice of cake in a box to take home. Yup, more cake. Because everyone gets hungry at 8pm and wishes they had more cake. Or alternatively, your boyfriend eats it for you instead as you’re still in a clotted cream related coma 5 hours later.

If you’re on the hunt for a special afternoon tea in the South East, I’d definitely recommend a visit to South Lodge. It costs £29.50 per person (including refills) and can be booked directly through their website.

Where’s your favourite spot for afternoon tea?

NARS Under Cover summer collection 2016

I seem to be having a bit of a blue eye shadow moment this month. After avoiding it for years for fear of resembling an 80s extra, I’ve been totally converted. As well as Dolce & Gabbana’s beautiful spring shades, NARS’ new summer collection is high at the top of my list for blue shadow shades that you’ll actually wear.

The Under Cover collection brings together a selection of lip, cheek and eye shades, all of which come packaged up in striking packaging. The illustrations have been designed by contemporary artist Konstantin Kakanias and are one set of boxes you won’t want to part with. Inside the box it’s all the usual NARS matte black packaging which I think is a shame – it’d be nice to see the theme carried on through to the actual compacts.

Packaging aside, I’m loving the new shades in their dual-intensity eye shadow formula. Deep End (teal-green) is the fresher of the two and looks great swept all over the lids, or used wet as a bold liner against a more nude background. Pool Shark is more of a cornflower blue and has a subtle shimmer – a little of this in the crease of your eyes adds definition in a much softer way than the usual smoky grey shades. There’s also Tan Lines (deep hazelnut) and Topless (seashell pink) which are new shades, but I think the blues and greens offer something that little bit different.

There are also two new shades of Dual-Intensity Blusher duos – I have Liberation here, which is the most wearable for pale skins. The mix of shimmery light pink and caramel rose shades work really well together – the lighter one could almost be a highlighter if used very sparingly, but both work equally well as cheek colours. Sexual Content features a slightly stronger colourway with peach and raspberry shades. Like the eye shadows these can be used either dry or wet. If you do choose to use them wet, apply sparingly, the pigment will get pretty strong!

Last up, are the limited edition Lip Covers which are highly pigmented liquid lipsticks, with a semi-gloss finish. Unlike many of their liquid lipstick counterparts, these don’t dry down to a matte finish – instead, they retain a slightly slippy texture and give a subtle sheen. There are four shades to choose from (I have Do Not Disturb, and orangey-red and Get Dirty, the nudey pink shade), with a focus on dusty pinks and seriously punchy orange/reds. As you’d expect, the formula doesn’t last as long on the lips as some of the matte finish ones, but it’s SO much more comfortable to wear and very forgiving on any drier patches. I still got a good 3-4 hours wear before needing a top up, which is very respectable.

Rather conveniently, everything in the range seems to be priced at £21 each – this makes the blushers pretty good value in my eyes given the normal NARS prices (less so for the eye shadows).

The range is exclusive to Selfridges until 1st June, when it will go nationwide across counters.

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What do you think of the new collection from NARS?

*contains PR samples