Review: The Balm Mary-Lou Manizer Highlighter and NUDE'tude Nude eyeshadow palette

One of the best things about moving house is having the opportunity to reorganise! I took full advantage of this, especially in de-cluttering my makeup. It has been so much fun being able to try new things from my stash!

One of the products I have really enjoyed recently is the Mory-Lou Manizer from The Balm. I have no idea how long it was hiding in the hack of a drawer, as it is by no means a new product, but I thought I would give it a chance when I cleared out some of my older highlighters.

This highlighting powder comes in a round mirrored compact. It is super soft and smooth and applies absolutely effortlessly. I would describe it as a warm champagne colour that is very reflective, but with no glitter or sparkles, just a satin sheen.

A little definitely goes a long way as the pigmentation is very good.

I use it as a highlight on my cheekbones, with a thin fan brush and a very light touch. It's also great as an eyeshadow - either an all over base lid colour, a brow or inner corner highlight.

It just adds the most amazing glow to the face and goes with most blush colours I have tried as it is neither too warm/ gold toned or silver/ cool toned. Sometimes highlighters can look a little off on very light skin like mine, but I find this one to add the perfect amount of radiance, without adding too much colour.

The Balm Mary-Lou Manizer is available from Superdrug here for £17.49.

I am also currently trying out The Balm NUDE'tude Nude eyeshadow palette (£29.99), which has a great selection of neutral, wearable eyeshadows. The texture is super smooth and they have great pigmentation. My favourite eye shadow is stand-offish - a nude, pinky toned shimmery colour that is perfect as an effortless all over lid colour!

Review: Michael Kors Gold Fragrance Collection

I first fell in love with Michael Kors fragrances when I tried Very Hollywood, it was such a fun, uplifting, wearable scent that it quickly became my signature for the Summer. I was therefore excited to be given a sample of 3 new perfumes in the Michael Kors Gold Fragrance Collection* to test out!

The three gold fragrances couldn't be more different, though they all have the signature Michael Kors effortless wearability and glamour.

White Luminous Gold  is sparkling and sexy with a heady, intoxicating burst of pear, jasmine and amber. It has a slightly oriental feel that for me evokes romantic evenings.

24K Brilliant Gold is feminine and seductive with orange mandarin, delicate florals and a warm woody base. This is a very easy fragrance to wear that will effortlessly transition from day to night.

Rose Radiant Gold (my personal favourite) is sweet, yet light with sparkling spice textured with a charming femininity of rich florals and soft musks. This feels like a summery fragrance, but it has a little more depth so will make a perfect transition into the colder Autumn months.

The Gold Fragrance Collection can be purchased here and retails from £39 for 30ml.

Debenhams are also hosting a pop up Michael Kors Beauty booth until next Saturday so do check them out!

Whitney Port Venus & Olay Blogger Challenge!

A few weeks ago I was challenged by Venus and Olay's new ambassador Whitney Port to customise a pair of denim shorts for a chance to feature on Whitney's site, as well as win a pair of shorts designed by the leggy lady herself. I am a huge Whitney fan as I love her style and general attitude so I was excited to try out the new Venus razor and take part in the fashion challenge!

I was sent a pair of denim shorts to play with, along with a bag of embellishments and of course the new Venus and Olay razor that combines Olay Moisture-Boost shave gel bars, which help replenish your skin’s moisture, with Venus’s five-blade technology for an incredibly close shave. The shave gel bars mean there’s no need for an extra shave gel, which is perfect for travel or when you are in a hurry. As well as being super quick and convenient this razor gives a really close, comfortable shave. I also noticed that the bars have a lovely scent, which was a nice surprise!

So after trying out the razor I was all set to show off my legs and began working on the perfect pair of shorts to do so. I decided to keep the colour palette very classic and focus on some gold detailing on the front and back pockets. Since my sewing technique is somewhat lacking there was a lot of fabric glue involved, but I'm pretty happy with the results. I think the extra sparkle gives the shorts a bit of personality, while still being really wearable.

I used lots of gold thread on the back pockets to make them really stand out and give the shorts a little bit more shape. I then tied the design in with the front by accentuating the corners with more gold sequins, to reflect the shape of the curve.

So what do we think ladies? Would Whitney ever wear a pair of shorts like this? Regardless of the competition I had so much fun decorating (and almost gluing my fingers together) and I can't wait to show them off on holiday in a few weeks :). xxx

Clogau Kensington Locket

After a recent, albeit very brief, trip to Austria to visit family I thought I would share my little duty free purchase with you all as it's something quite unique! I had never heard of Clogau gold before opening my BA inflight magazine, but as soon as I read their feature I was immediately intrigued. Clogau produces fine jewellery with a touch of rare Welsh gold, which is extremely precious, having been used by royalty since 1911. Their pieces are a beautiful blend of modern and traditional and are all designed to embrace their Welsh heritage.

 

The piece that caught my eye was their Kensington Locket which is beautifully adorned with an intricate filigree design inspired by the 19th century gates of Kensington Palace. As I live not too far from Kensington gardens I have many happy memories of picnics and walks nearby, which makes this pendant extra special.

The expertly handcrafted Kensington heart locket can be opened up to reveal a key hidden inside, which makes it unique.

I love the mix of silver and rose gold in this astoundingly intricate design and think it is just stunning!

Have you ever heard of Clogau before? I highly recommend you check them out as they have so many beautiful and individual pieces! xxx

MUA Peach Shimmer

Beauty on a budget has never been easier with MUA's fantastic range of products. I am currently obsessed with the MUA Out There plumping lipgloss in Peach Shimmer, which retails at just £2 here.

Peach Shimmer is a gorgeous bright pink with a subtle gold irridescence that makes it appear warmer. This lip gloss is pigmented and glossy without being sticky. The plumping component does mean your lips will experience the usual 'burn' associated with plumping products, but luckily it is not as strong as others on the market.

Have you tried any MUA lip glosses? Which are your favourite shades? Are you a fan of plumping lip products? xxx

Sketchy Melon Tutorial

This tutorial came about while I was playing around with a few different eyeshadow colours. I decided to mix a shimmering peachy melon with a deeper, matte blackberry accent. What do you guys think of this combination?


Products used:

Avon Ideal Flawless Foundation (Light Pink)*
17 Blush First Kiss*
MAC MSF Pink Porcelain
Avon P401 lipstick*

UDPP
MAC Paint Pot Fresco Rose
MAC Melon Pigment
MAC e/s shale, sketch, shroom
Max Factor Liquid Effect Eye Liner Black*
L'Oreal Carbon Gloss Liquid Liner
Black shadow from UD Naked
Eyeko Skinny Brush Mascara*
Lashaholic lashes LA03*

This is not a sponsored video. Products marked with * were given to me at events or sent for review consideration.

If you would like to see more of my makeup tutorials please subscribe to my YouTube channel here. Thank you for watching my lovelies! xxx

Royal Manicure

Unfortunately my nail painting skills are nothing to write home about, but I do like to have a play around!

In the colder months I tend to stick to a darker palette of nail polish, but it's always fun to change it up a little bit every now and again. I am a big fan of the new french tip - namely glitter, but unfortunately glitter is not work friendly so has to be reserved for the weekends. So instead of creating a gold tip I decided to make a bolder statement.

OPI Plugged in Plum and Nail Star nail art polish in gold.

I like the idea of the design, but my shaky hands have somewhat failed in the execution. Practice makes perfect...

What nail polish colours are you wearing at the moment? What are your favourite nail designs? xxx

New Year's Eve Outfit

A few of you have requested that I post some pictures of my Christmas and New Year's celebrations, especially as I took a little break from the internet over the festive season. Since my Christmas was pretty low key there are no pictures to speak of, but I did manage to convince the bf to take a few snaps before heading out to celebrate the beginning of what will hopefully be an amazing year!

On the night itself I chose to wear an old dress from French Connection (circa 2005!) with opaque tights and the most obnoxiously glittery shoes that I had picked up in the Ted Baker sale a few days earlier.

They may not be for everyone, but I absolutely love them... they make me feel quite the modern Dorothy ;). If you are looking for a glitter shoe that is just that little bit more sophisticated (and I use that term very loosely) than the chunkier versions all over the high street then I highly recommend you check these out. They are currently available in red, black and my favourite rose gold colour on sale for £67 on the Ted Baker website here.

Continuing on the rose gold theme I also wore my new Folli Follie rose gold Heart 4 Heart key necklace. Unfortunately this is no longer available for purchase alone, but you can still find it as part of a special edition set here. I wear the plainer key for work by shortening the chain, and keep the crystal one (worn above) for occasions that require a little more sparkle!

I styled my hair with a new curling iron that I have been experimenting with over the last couple of weeks - the Enrapture Totem Styler, which has three separate heat setting for different areas of the barrel. I set mine at 3-2-3 for defined curls and back combed my hair at the root to create lots of volume.

Makeup wise I wore a smokey eye similar to the one I created for my birthday party. The main focus was MAC's reflects antique gold glitter applied over the lid, with a shimmery brown eyeshadow smoked into the crease and below the lower lashline. I then brightened the lower lashline and inner corner using Urban Decay's heavy metal glitter eyeliner in baked. I completed the eye look using the You Complete Me mink lashes from Velour.

On my cheeks I used a mix of NARS Angelika and MAC Well Dressed blush with MAC's Perfect Topping MSF to highlight. On my lips I applied MAC's Hue lipstick, followed by my favourite gloss, the absolutely delicious Clarins Instant Light Natural Lip Perfector in No.2 Apricot Shimmer (£12.15 here).

I hope you all had a lovely Christmas and celebrated the beginning of the New Year in style!! xxx

Late night manicure

Crackle polish may be old news, but I must confess that I was never a fan of it in the first place. It looks worn and messy and I prefer an immaculate manicure, not a grungy one. So it somewhat pains me to say that while playing with my nail polishes one (very late) night I discovered a more sophisticated way of wearing crackle polish and have actually kept it on all week!

Nail polish: OPI Russian Navy (£7.99 here), Crackle Polish: 17 Nail Xtras Crackle Top Coat (£3.99 here), Top Coat: Seche Vite (£9 here).

By only using crackle polish on the 'feature' nail I think the crackle creates some interesting texture without overpowering the whole manicure. The gold is also a much more attractive alternative to the matte black that most brands have featured!

Are you a fan of the crackle effect? Have you tried any of the new magnetic polishes? Which ones would you recommend? xxx

Naked Gold Leaf

I have wanted to make a tutorial using the new Sleek Molten Metal eyeshadow duo for quite a while. The colours are beautiful and perfectly lend themselves to an effortless smokey eye!


Products used:
NARS Sheer Glow foundation
Bobbi Brown corrector
MAC MSF natural
Chanel Bronzer Universal
NARS Sin blush

UDPP
Urban Decay Naked Palette - naked, buck, smog
*Sleek Molten Metal metallic cream eyeshadow - Gold Leaf

MAC vanilla eyeshadow
Urban Decay 24/7 liner in bourbon
L'ancome Hypnose Mascara
YSL Rouge Volupte lipstick in No. 1

Products marked with * were sent to me for review purposes.

 Have you tried the new Sleek metallic eyeshadow duo? Let me know what you think! xxx

Twilight

Ciate's latest nail colours are dark, glossy and undeniably sexy! I love rich colours for the Winter, and this collection does not disappoint with some exciting, unique shades, as well as a few great staples.

Ghetto Fabulous (black creme)

 Burlesque (rich plum creme)

Dangerous Affair (rouge noir creme)

 Twilight (black with gold flakes)

 Paparazzi (vampy red black creme)

3am Girl (deep inky blue creme)

 Guest List (deep brown with a hint of purple creme)

 

 Strictly Legal (shimmery plum)

I have to confess that I love them all, especially for the Winter season. However, given the choice of one I decided on Twilight (Strictly legal is a close runner up). Now, before scrolling to the swtaches I have to prepare you for my nails. I am weeks overdue for gel infills, but haven't had the time to get to my regular salon (in Woking) so they are awfully long! Apologies, they are hideous, I am ashamed :(.

Twilight is a unique colour as the richness of the black is lifted and brought to life by the dense gold micro glitter. Some glitter polishes can look a little flat, but this seems to somehow have more dimension. In certain lights it can appear a simple black, but when it catches the light the gold flecks really glow and sparkle!

Like all Ciate polishes I have tried the pigmentation is excellent, and even this deep black is opaque in just one coat. I always go for two, but if you are in a rush you can easily settle for one generous layer. Although the consistency is quite thick the stiff, flat brush helps to apply it smoothly, without dragging across the nail (though you couldn't tell by my 2am shaky application). It dries in a decent amount of time and wears well, but you do have to be careful not to apply it too thick as it can chip. The photos above were taken after 3 days of wear, and though I have a few minor chips I would say it has held up well, especially for a black as any tip wear is instantly noticeable.

Ciate polishes are £9 each and can be purchased from ciate.co.uk.

Have you tried any Ciate polishes? What did you think of their formulation? Do you have any favourites and do any of the above take your fancy? xxx