Christmas with Clarins

Ok so the title of this post may not strictly be utterly correct, and I may be just teasing you and giving a glimpse into what is actually only going to be hitting the shelves in 2016, but I just couldn't resist showing you all the beautiful newness from Clarins. We all need something to look forward to during these chilly mornings and gloomy nights, and I for one am looking forward to getting back my glow. Yes, a holiday in the sun would be preferable, but thankfully the Clarins Spring Collection has everything we need to bring that radiance back into our complexions.

Starting with the lips, dry chapped lips can be quenched with the new Instant Light Lip Perfectors - I've been a fan of these since they came to my rescue during the coldest months last Winter - as the ingredients soften and protect as well as offering just a hint of beautiful colour. The new purple plum shade doesn't look as intense on the lip as it does in the tube, but offers a light wash of colour and just a hint of shine.

As for the lipsticks, Clarins is my go-to brand when I need a lippy that delivers serious colour, but also moisturisation for my lips. The new shades of Rouge Eclat offer exactly that - protecting lips and also working to minimize fine lines. If that's not enough, they also contain ingredients which actually battle against dehydration and boost collagen! All of this doesn't compromise on the appearance or lasting power of the lipsticks though, and I can confirm that after standing on the rugby pitch side lines for over 3 hours in the biting winds, my lippy remained in tact, and I didn't even find myself reaching for my trusty lip balm once inside!

Claris never fail to hit the nail on the head when it comes to eyeshadow palettes, I've become a collector of their small palettes, and their new rose-bronze compact is my favourite so far! The shades are so incredibly wearable, ranging from a light beige (perfect for the brow bone or inner corners) to deep velvety browns, all of which are superbly blendable - making for an easy smoky or natural eye look. I'm never a fan of the brushes that come with these palettes (Naked Smokey palette is an exception) and I'm not too blown away by the one in the Clarins palette. It's OK for emergencies but these eye shadows deserve a proper blending brush to bring out their beauty.


The four new shades of Ombre Iridescent eye shadows look just like little round candies, dotted around my makeup drawer - and as fun as they are to look at, they are to apply too. With a pearlescent finish, I still find the cream to powder formula rather mind-boggling. How can something so flat in the pot create such a pop of colour and luminous glow?! I'll never know, but boy do I love it!

Available online and in-store on January 10th.

Which is your favourite from the new Clarins Spring Makeup range?

xoxo

New In : H&M Beauty

Did you ever see a more beautiful beauty range?! As soon as I laid eyes upon the gorgeous new beauty collection from H&M, all beautifully lined up in the Oxford Circus store, I knew that it just had to be mine. I barely gave a thought to the actual makeup (I know, bad beauty blogger) and instead was just so transfixed with the packaging that before long, my shopping basket was full, and I was racing home eager to photograph possibly the most photogenic beauty range, ever.

Over on my YouTube channel today, I published a haul video going through my very first impressions of each of the gorgeous goodies, but since filming it I've tried all of the products ready to report back my first impressions, so let's kick off with the blushers, as I did in the video.

Colour wise, H&M have an incredible colour selection for their blushers; the Autumnal dusky pinks and mauves are exactly what I'd been looking for, and in this incredible packaging it was hard for me to resist, so yep, I bought two. The hexagons, the gold, there's something very luxe about how these look and I was instantly drawn to the almost purple toned blushers and grabbed a cream and a powder. Of the two, the powder is my favourite, purely as I prefer that texture for my blush in general, but the cream consistency was far better than I expected; not greasy in the slightest, and a lovely colour pay off. A little hard to blend, but the final result was lovely.

I picked up this cream eyeshadow in the shade 'Glam Glow' in the hope that it would be a dupe of my Charlotte Tilbury equivalent, and while it's not quite so luxe, I would say that it's a fabulous hughstreet alternative. The colour when applied is a whimsical pinky champagne, with a subtle shimmer, and decent colour payoff. A fabulous base, but I'm not sure how well this would blend for a smokey eye.

The lipsticks are another beautifully packaged produce, with their eye-catching gold tubes, and clean white lids. I picked up two pinky shades, going for a classic nude and a slightly more autumnal pink. Both have a lovely moisturising feel, similar to the KIKO lipsticks, giving a not quite gloss, but certainly not a matte-drying finish. They leave my lips feeling moisturised, and colour payoff is good, but the lasting power isn't quite as good as I'd hoped for.

The perfect amount of shimmer lies within these gorgeous single eyeshadows, not too sparkly, and not a flat matte-shade, H&M have got the glitter-scale absolutely tipped perfectly on their powder shadows. I went for three neutral colours which all blend very nicely together, but the colour payoff is not as intense as my pricier eyeshadows, you really have to give that brush a good swirl!!

Oh the nail varnishes. In the store the display seemed to go on for miles, it was so hard to choose which to go for (MAJOR first world problem) so I ended up walking home with four autumnal shades. I've been wearing U-Taupe-Ia for the past week now, and have given it one top up after a few chips appeared, but overall considering the price I'm very impressed with both the formula, and the incredible colour range.

9 incredible colours in one palette, I wouldn't be surprised if the Smokey Nudes eyeshadow palette sells out pretty soon, as every one of these shades is just so darn wearable. With stunning packaging and a lovely mirror in the lid (and at just �9.99) I think this is my favourite piece from the collection. Again the colour payoff isn't great, but if you keep on swirling, you'll be rewarded.

Finally the powder. I said in my video that I thought it may be quite drying, as that's the effect that it had when I swatched, however I'm pleased to report that I love the effect it has when applied to my face; not drying at all, just giving a lovely subtle matte finish to my makeup, and keeping my base in place for hours to come.

All in all, a fabulous collection, and no doubt one which will send the blogosphere into a frenzy! The stunning packaging and accessible price points (most items around �5) make this range an absolute winner, and I can't wait to try more!

Don't forget to head over and watch my video for more first impressions and information about the products!

Will you be trying out the H&M beauty range?

xoxo

New In from Pixi Beauty

Pixi is a brand that I rave about regularly on my blog and YouTube, and their new launches for this Autumn are set to bring about even more lusting, but I thought I'd introduce you to a few of my favourites. As always the packaging is absolutely on point, this time with some rose gold metallic touches, but it's what's inside that really gets my heart racing!

Firstly, there is finally a mascara with those little silk fibres in it, that actually works to give you super fluttery pumped up lashes, without the fibres all flaking into your eye!! I was wary of this when I first tried it having had bad experiences with other brands, but the Pixi Lengthy Fiber mascara gives you all the volume, without the irritation. The silk fibres look like your real lashes, but with twice the volume this really is like false eyelashes in a  bottle!

I would never have chosen Pixi as a top choice for lipsticks, until I tried the new Mattelustre lipsticks. Not only are the colours exactly what I've been looking for for my Summer-going-on-Autumn lip, but the formula is beyond perfection. Although giving a demi-matte finish, the lipsticks apply like a balm, and lips immediately feel moisturised. For a lipstick that feels so good, the wear is surprisingly good, with hours going by before I need to touch up. Fortified with peptides, hyaluronic acid and vitamins, the lips look fuller and feel smoother from just the very first application.

Another newbie is their Hydrating Milky Mist, which is a godsend for those with sensitive skin. An �ber soothing mist which hydrates and calms the skin, it's perfect if you suffer from dryness or sensitivity. With ingredients such as black oat, linoleic acid and provitamin A, this mist is the ideal 'first step' in your beauty routine to bring moisture to the first layer of skin before you apply serums or makeup.

The 24k Eye Elixir is another special product. Not only as it has tiny particles of gold within it but because the results are almost instantaneous. With a cooling rollerball applicator, puffy eyes are given a gentle head start towards de-puffing, and circulation is boosted around the eye area as you massage it in. The formula itself is infused with anti-aging ingredients which work to refresh eyes and also prevent signs of fatigue, and long term use helps to repair the delicate skin around the eyes and plump up any fine lines, thanks to the collagen and peptides within the formula.

I'd buy the Pixi Makeup Fixing Mist based purely on the packaging because it's so darn beautiful! The mist is so pleasurable to apply, it feels gorgeous on the skin and has an incredible fragrance thanks to the rose water and green tea infused formula. It keeps your makeup from budging, melting, or settling into any fine lines or pores and you can apply before or after your makeup (or both!) to set and create a luminous, flawless finish. My only quibble with it is that is sprays quite harshly, in that I mean sometimes my face can become a little wet, so instead of spraying directly onto my face, I mist into a cloud and walk into it. Problem solved.

One more exciting launch from Pixi is their skincare range, which I am still currently trialling. Including face masks, exfoliating pads, cleansers and night creams, the range, as you can imagine, looks good, smells good, and, on first impressions, does good too, so I can't wait to give you a full review once I've tested the products out for a little longer!

Which are your favourite pieces from the new collection?

Benefit's They're Real - Now in Colour!

Exciting news, They're Real lovers!

Following an incredible launch event last week (more on that below!) Benefit Cosmetics have launched their cult They're Real Mascara and Push Up Liner in new colours - and they're all absolutely beautiful.

If, like me, you recoil a bit at the thought of blue or purple eyeliner, with memories of 1990's first attempt at doing your makeup visions in your head, then just stop. Stop right there because Benefit's new killer shades are a bold way to switch up your beauty look, but all the colours are remarkably easy to wear. 

They're Real mascara now comes in 'Beyond Brown' - a personal favourite - a very soft and natural look, perfect for pairing with bold lips, or for on a 'no makeup' day. There's also 'beyond blue', for bright dazzling eyes. The liners come in brown, blue, purple and green, and the Benebabes on the counters will be on hand to help you choose which one works best for your eye colour.

The launch event was my first ever Benefit blogger event, and wow those Benebabes sure know how to get a bunch of Bloggers and YouTubers excited about a product! We walked into a very plain white room, with not much being given away as to what was soon to take place. After revealing the new range of colourful products, Benebabe Lauren pulled out an all white body suit, googles, and shoe protectors... things were about to get messy!

So we covered up head to toe, and were led into the next room, filled with plastic sheets, buckets of paint, water guns and more, and the paint fight began! I'll be tweeting some of my snaps from the event today!

Which colour will you be trying?