My 2015 beauty favourites part 3: It's all about the eyes

It has come to that time in the year where I round up all of my favourite beauty products from the year and try to narrow in down to my absolute favourites. Part one was my favourite foundations and concealers, part 2 was: blushers, bronzers and highlighters and today is part 3: Eyes.

Here is what is coming up next:

Tuesday 5th: Mascara and brows

Thursday 6th: Lips

This is the category that I have the most of, I really am a sucker for a new eye shadow palette and there were many contenders in this category. I've broken it down into palettes, cream shadows, single shadows and eye shadow sticks.

My favourite palettes
There have been so many beautiful releases this year but I've managed to narrow it down to three:

Nars Dual Intensity eye shadow palette
I love Nars products but this one has been one of my most used palettes. The real test for me is if I use all the colours and I have to say this one passed the test. These shadows are very pigmented and work both wet and dry. It even comes with a brush (much better than the rubbish spongey things you get!) This is available at Selfridges for £45 here.

Marc Jacobs the free spirit No. 20 palette
Now, I'm going to apologise now as this was limited edition and has now sold out but as you can see from the photograph, it is utter perfection. I have the Lolita  palette and love it but this is on another level. The eye shadows are so creamy and buttery even though they are in powder form. There are 20 shadows to choose from and I did a full review of this here if you want to swoon over swatches.

Zoeva Cocoa blend palette
Finally, in the palette category is the Zoeva Cocoa blend palette. This is such good value for money at only £15.50! All the colours are so wearable and there are some definite MAC dupes here (I did a post all about it here). If you don't own any Zoeva products I can seriously recommend their brushes too- a brilliant brand to check out if you haven't done already.

Cream shadows
Next up are cream shadows and there isn't any doubt in my mind that the Charlotte Tilbury eyes to mesmerise cream shadows win hands down. Again, a full review here. These are great if you are in a rush as you can apply with your fingers all over the lid and they look great- no creasing and blend beautifully! These are £22 from Charlotte Tilbury.

Eye shadows sticks
There are two products in this category and I'm sure you are not going to be surprised to see another Charlotte Tilbury product here. I really love her Colour Chameleon eye shadow pencils. I have 2 colours: Amber Haze and Bronzed garnet- two firm favourites here. I also love the ByTerry Ombre Blackstar. I own five of these and I can really rely on them lasting and looking great. The only downside is their price- at £29 each these are definitely one to buy with a gift card or indulge points with Space NK.

Single Eye shadow
Now I couldn't leave this baby out because I wear this single shadow so often. As a makeup hoarder, it is very easy to forget single shadows when you have lots of palettes to choose from but this offering from Burberry in the colour Pale Barley is unforgettable. It is the perfect every day shadow, so creamy and beautiful all over the lid. You can see swatches of it here on my blog. This is £23 on feelnique.com.

What have your favourite eye products been this year, I would love to know

Thanks for reading
Katherine
xxx

My 2015 beauty favourites part 2: blushers, bronzers/ contours and highlighters

It has come to that time in the year where I round up all of my favourite beauty products from the year and try to narrow it down to my absolute favourites. Part one was my favourite foundations and concealers which you can read here if you missed it. Today is part 2: blushers, bronzers and highlighters.

Here is what is coming up next:

Saturday 26th: Eyes

Tuesday 29th: Mascara and brows

Thursday 31st: Lips

Let's start with blushers:

Hourglass ambient lighting edit
Now I chose this palette because even though it is expensive, it is worth all the hype. Hourglass blushers for me have to be my absolute favourites. I really like the texture and finely milled baked bronzers. In this palette my favourite blush is Mood exposure. I also really like Incadescent electra from the Hourglass ambient lighting blush palette. If you are on a budget I would also recommend the  Maxfactor creme puff blushers. I did a comparison/ dupe post here comparing the two.

Now onto bronzers/ contours:

Kevyn Aucoin sculpting medium in powder and cream form
I had to include both versions of this contour as I love them both! It's the perfect contour as it is not too orange and looks great to define those cheek bones. It's a shame the cream version only comes in a duo and is tiny!! I hope they release it is a bigger solo version. I'm still out on the hunt for the perfect cream contour- do you have any suggestions?

Soap and glory solar powder bronzer
For my favourite 2015 bronzer it has to be the solar powder bronzer. I really like how this is split into 2 giving you the option to lighten or darken compared to how tanned you are. It is a great drugstore product and isn't too orange or shimmery. I really want to work my way through this quicker as they have brought out the product in a better plastic packaging this year- well done soap and glory!

Next up is highlighters:

Mac cream colour base in hush
I first saw this in a Pixiwoo video that Nic did and I knew I had to get it. I LOVE cream products as personally they look much better on my dry skin. This is the perfect highlighter for any occasion- day or night. It gives a lovely glow with a golden/ pearl glow without any shimmer/ glitter. You should definitely check this one out.

And finally....

Charlotte Tilbury x Norman Parkinson dreamy glow highlighter
Now I was really tempted to put in the blogger cult Champagne pop highlighter by Becca/Jacyln Hill but it wasn't making an appearance on my face daily as it can be quite OTT. This highlighter however is perfect. It reminds my of the Balm Maryloumaniser. This was a limited edition collaboration that Charlotte did earlier in the year but is still available here. The packaging is gorgeous and this is again a lovely golden pearl highlighter but this time is a lovely soft powder form.

I hope you found this helpful. What are you favourites for this category?

Thanks for reading
Katherine
xxx

My 2015 beauty favourites part 1: Foundations & concealers

It has come to that time in the year where I round up all of my favourite beauty products from the year and try to narrow in down to my absolute favourites. Part one is my favourite foundations and concealers.

Here is what is coming up over the next few weeks:

Thursday 24th : Blushers, bronzers and highlighters

Saturday 26th: Eyes

Tuesday 29th: Mascara and brows

Thursday 31st: Lips

Out of all five categories, this is the one I love the most, foundations are probably my favourite beauty product to try. If you are a follower of my blog you will have seen reviews of most of these products over the year:
There are links if you would like a full review of any of these foundations:
Burberry fresh glow
Charlotte Tilbury Wonderglow foundation
Bobbi Brown Intensive skin serum foundation

So onto my favourites:

Bobbi brown intensive skin serum foundation

This is a liquid foundation, which comes with a pipet applicator.  It is Formulated with Lychee, Bamboo Grass and Cordyceps Mushroom extracts. Now I am not a dermatologist but these ingredients work! My skin feels lovely! I have dry dehydrated skin and since using this foundation my skin looks dewy, radiant and I haven't had any breakouts. The foundation claims to have a powerful combination of serum ingredients which help to support the skin’s cellular energy and also offers key anti-aging benefits for a smoother, firmer, more lifted look. I wear the colour sand. You can see my full review here.

Too faced born this way foundation

This has to be one of my new favourite foundations. It leaves my skin looking flawless. It is slightly more coverage than I have been wearing over the last few months compared to the Burberry/ Bobbi Brown but it doesn't feel cakey or heavy on the skin. I bought the colour porcelain which is similar to Rimmel wake me up Ivory/Mac NW20/Nars Sante Fe in colour.
 I wear this if I want a fuller coverage when I go out in the evenings or need it to last all day and night.

Burberry fresh glow foundation

I has been wearing his since April and it had to make it into my 2015 favourites. I wear the shade No.11 Prorcelain which is the lightest shade they do. If you are 

super duper pale, I think this may be an issue as this isn't the lightest colour foundation I've seen. It is very light in texture and has SPF 15. This foundation gives me a lovely glow. It feels lovely on the skin and lasts all day. I have dry skin and I have to say it does not stick to dry patches- result! I really do recommend this foundation. I would say it is a light-medium coverage but can be built very easily to a more medium-full coverage. 

Charlotte Tilbury wonder glow foundation

I got this foundation in August from Selfridges after seeing it appear on many blogs. Having dry skin makes it tricky sometimes to find a foundation that does not stick to dry patches or look cakey on the skin. I have had the Wonderglow primer and the airbrush flawless finish powder since last Christmas so I thought it was about time to complete the trio. I have to say that I am impressed! The foundation has SPF 15 and is a light foundation that hydrates the skin without looking too thick. I really like this with the wonder glow primer underneath as it adds a lovely dewy finish that lasts really well. I use the powder just on my T zone to stop any shine. If you are wondering about the other magic foundation that Charlotte brought out this year- why not see my comparison post here.

L'oreal true match foundation

Now I tried this foundation ages ago and I liked it but didn't love it. When I saw that they had reformulated this I decided to give it another try and now this has to be my favourite drugstore foundation. It's perfect for my dry skin and is quite thin/watery in texture (Similar to Bobbi Brown/ Chanel vitalumiere). This is a light- medium coverage and is perfect for every day. I don't think it has the staying power of the Charlotte Tilbury but for the price, I thoroughly recommend it.

Charlotte Tilbury airbrush flawless finish powder

I found it quite easy to choose this as it has been one of the only powders I have worn this year and as you can see from the photo, I've hit pan. This is a lovely powder which I got as a Christmas present last year, it is very fine and does not look powdery on the skin. I do think however the Rimmel stay matte powder is just as good and A LOT cheaper. This was a lovely gift but for the price I think I'll be using the Rimmel one when it is all gone.

Mac studio finish concealer

And finally onto concealer. This is probably my longest ever favourite- nothing has ever beaten it for covering blemishes. It is quite thick and stays put covering those pesky spots. I don't suffer with dark circles so I tend not to use this under my eyes but if you are looking for a concealer to cover those problem areas on your skin... look no further!

If I had to choose one foundation it would have to be the Charlotte Tilbury wonder glow as my 2015 favourite foundation but it's a hard choice. 

What are your favourites?

Thanks for reading

Katherine

xxx

My top 10 Christmas wishlist

Today I would like to share my top 10 products that I would personally love to see under the Christmas tree.

Teddy dressing gown £20.65 Marks and Spencers

Fair Isle pyjama bottom £9.80 Marks and Spencers

Wet brush detangling brush £11.99 Boots

Yves Saint Lauren Black Opium Eau de parfum £85 Boots

Charlotte Tilbury Colour Chameleon Smokey eye kit £90 Charlotte Tilbury

Charlotte Tilbury Fallen Angel luxury palette £45 Charlotte Tilbury

Selected Emro blouse in lace £65 ASOS

Warehouse pointed Ghillie lace flat shoes £40

Still stuck what to buy mothers, sisters, aunties, girlfriends- why not choose something on this list?

Thanks for reading

Katherine

xxx

Current winter wish list

I haven't done a wish list fashion post in ages so I thought I would share with you what I am currently loving from ASOS, Zara, Oliver Bonas, M&S, And other stories and People tree.

All links are down below if you want to purchase anything.

Which is your favourite?

1. Salt and pepper coat- Oliver Bonas £95

2. Fleece pyjama top- m&s £15.75

3. Sheer bottom blouse- and other stories £35

4. Natasha jumper in pink- people tree £75

5. Tunic with cashmere blend- ASOS £35

6. Flowing top- Zara £12.99

7. Emro Blouse in lace- ASOS £65

8. Plush frill dress- Zara £25.99

Is there anything on your wish list that I should check out?

Thanks for reading

Katherine

xxx

Weekend windup: Getting ill, new palette and the best cream ever for dry skin!

This week has been busy and it's come to that time of year when I ALWAYS get ill! I went to the doctors on friday and I am now on antibiotics for tonsillitis. Let's hope it's all gone and I feel better for Christmas! It has been a very quiet week socially, I even missed my work Christmas party as I was in bed all day Friday. I'm feeling quite glad that I have been on top of my Christmas shopping otherwise I would be starting to panic!

There have been two blog posts up this week. The first was a review of a new Morphe palette that I got from Beautybay.com. I have to say that I am very impressed so far. You can take a look at the swatches and full thoughts here.

Next is a product that I can't recommend enough if you suffer with dry skin like me in the winter. The best part is it's only £7.79. Now I'm surprised this hasn't been discovered in the blogging world as it beats EVERYTHING I've tried including lots of expensive serums/moisturisers. You can read my blog post all about Eumocream here.

I'm hoping I feel a lot better soon so I can enjoy the festivities! What have you been doing this week- I would love to hear from you! How's the Christmas shopping going?

Thanks for reading

Katherine

xxx

The BEST product ever for dry skin in the winter (it's even from the drugstore!)

I'm really excited to tell you about this product because it beats everything else I have tried for dry skin (and I've tried a lot!). This include kiels midnight recovery, estee lauder advanced night repair, Clarins hydra quench range, Charlotte Tilbury magic cream... the list goes on!

Now, I really do suffer with dry skin- especially in the winter time. I get dry patches on my cheeks and around my mouth which look almost scaly (I know, attractive right!). This means my makeup always looks patchy on top and dull.

Until I found this product from Boots. Eumocream is only £7.79 and is a hydrating treatment for dry, sensitive, itchy skin, eczema and dermatitis. It contains 25% w/w glycerol. Now there is one draw back to this- its smell. It really isn't pleasant as it smells like a nappy cream! But it is definitely worth it. You can use this all over your body/ face and I put this on EVERY evening without fail and my skin feel so good! I don't have any dry patches and it feels like my skin in the summer time. If I forget for a few days I can really tell. The effects are instant the next day when you use it again. I still use the Embryolisse lait-cream each morning before applying my makeup as well but it really is life changing.

If you suffer with dryness I can't recommend this enough!

You can pick it up here and it's currently on buy one get one half price!

Thanks for reading

Katherine

xxx

A Review: The Morphe brushes 35W 35 colour warm palette

Now here in the UK, I haven't seen any bloggers/youtubers talk about Morphe as a brand but I keep on seeing these palettes on instagram. On a first quick glance they could be mistaken for MAC. They are obviously have more shadows in the palette but they have the same size shadows and come in the old MAC packaging (no clear lid).

I picked this up for just £15.96 on beautybay.com. I do admit to being quite skeptical of this palette, purely down to the price and not hearing anyone talk about it, so here are my thoughts...

Swatches 

In this palette there are:

14 matte shadows

17 shimmery shades

3 full on shimmery ones

A black glitter

The Verdict

The 17 shimmery shades are very pretty, they have good colour pay off that could be compared to MAC (there I've said it!) They are very creamy and do not have too much fall down. The matte shades are less pigmented and give more of a wash of colour. They can be built up but are more chalky that the shimmery shades. There are 3 shades in this palette than really stand out above the rest (2nd row no. 2&7 and last row no.1) They are so pigmented and shimmery in a good way without the chunks of glitter you often see in cheap eye shadow palettes.

The only down side to these are they are tricky to get hold of in the UK. I find that they are constantly sold out. I am very impressed with this palette, a must have to try if you are on a budget and don't want to splash out on MAC.

Here are a few places to try and get your hands on one!

Cult beauty

Beauty bay

Beauty Chamber

Have you tried any of the Morphe palettes? What about their brushes?

Thanks for reading

Katherine

xxx

Weekend wind-up: Afternoon tea, new blush palettes from the high street and feeling Christmassy!

This week has been a very busy one with work. I've been out a lot in the evenings and working over the weekend. Nevertheless, I've had time to put my Christmas tree up! It look's so pretty! This year, I went for a copper, grey and white theme. I got some new baubles from christmasstyle.co.uk . They were very reasonably priced but I did have to sit and tie on ALL the strings (why do people make bauble without them- I ask you!) This took a long time but I'm very please with the result.

Last weekend, I went for afternoon tea with my sister in Harrogate, Yorkshire. We went to Betty's tea rooms which I have wanted to go to for a long time. I wasn't disappointed. I wrote a review here with lots more pictures and info about our afternoon tea experience. I thoroughly recommend it!

I also did a blogpost on two new blush palettes I have been trying out from the drugstore (Superdrug). Since purchasing the Hourglass ambient lighting edit I wanted to see if I could find a dupe/ cheaper alternative. I wrote a post all about these two from makeup revolution and freedom and you can see which one I prefer here.

How are your Christmas preparations going? Have you bought any presents yet? I have to say (smug face) I am feeling quite organised this year, I did quite a lot of Christmas shopping last weekend and only have a few bits and bobs/ stocking fillers to get!

I hope you had a lovely week

thanks for reading

Katherine

xxx

Afternoon tea at Betty's tea room, Harrogate

Last weekend, I went to Betty's tea rooms in Harrogate for afternoon tea with my sister. We chose to go to this one as you can book a specific time for afternoon tea rather than queue outside in the rain (no thank you!) I got a voucher from my sister for my birthday and I have always wanted to go to Bettys. The tea room opened in 1919 by Frederick Belmont and was the first Bettys to open, there are now six in Harrogate, Harlow Carr, York, Stonegate York, Ikley and North Allerton.

You can choose from a wide selection of teas and even try several if you wish. I went for Early Grey and Betty's equivalent of 'normal tea'! Before the 3 tier tray was brought out we got a little amuse bouche. On the menu it was a prawn cocktail but I decided to change for a Salsa/ guacamole combo instead, it was delicious.

We then got another mini plate (not sure what course this was but I'm not complaining!) with a slice of pork pie and salmon with cream cheese- delicious.

Next, the part I was really excited about was the selection on sandwiches, scones and mini deserts. It was all very yummy indeed! Here is the menu from our Lady's afternoon tea:

At the end our afternoon, we got two miniature loose leaf teas to take home to remember our experience. This was a lovely touch and you can buy their teas online here

I thoroughly recommend going if you are 'up north' any time soon! For more information and how to book, check out Betty's website here

Thanks for reading

Katherine

xxx

Review: Too faced 'Better than sex mascara' with before and after photos

I recently picked up this mascara which I have been wanting to try for ages! Here in the UK, Too faced is quite difficult to spot on the high street but I recently went to Debenhams and saw this and knew I had to get it. I love the packaging, it's in a beautiful pinky metal case which feels quite luxurious as it is quite weighty, which I like. I'm not so sure about the name but here is what the mascara can do!

As you can see there is a dramatic difference in my lashes. I love that the brush is not plastic and it coated my lashes really well. I do like the benefit mascaras but find that they are too wet when I first purchase them. This mascara is perfect from the beginning. It held a curl well and lasted all day without any fall down. I also found it easy to remove with a micellar cleansing water.

I definitely recommend trying this if you can find it. You can purchase it online with a mini and full size version at debenhams here for £19! 

Thanks for reading

Katherine

xxx

High street blush offerings from Makeup Revolution & Freedom

Now I have to admit I'm a sucker for a pretty blush palette. I absolutely love my new Hourglass ambient lighting edit palette and every time NARs bring out a new limited edition palette, my bank balance usually goes down! So, I though it was about time we saw what the high street had to offer.

I picked up the Makeup revolution Ultra blush palette in Hot Spice.

This palette is stocked in Superdrug and online for £6. Currently on 3 for 2 so it could work out even cheaper! There are 8 shades- all a good size so you don't have to be too careful when swirling your brush around in the palette. There are 3 slightly shimmery shades, 3 matte and 2 highlighter/ pearlescent shades. The packaging is black plastic (what you expect from drugstore) but it is quite slim and has a big mirror that fills the lid.

I have to say that I am quite impressed with this palette, the colour pay off was better than I expected,  I also like that every single shade is wearable with a good mixture of finishes. If you are just starting out in makeup I would thoroughly recommend this one- a great stocking filler too for those makeup addicts! Obviously, this is not going to beat NARs or Hourglass in terms of pigmentation but with the value for money aspect, I really do like this palette and will definitely be using it myself.

Now onto the Freedom Pro blush palette in bronzed and baked

Now this palette is an all rounder as it contains 2 highlighting shades, 3 blushers and 3 bronzing shades. To look at, this palette looks like the blushes are baked with a lovely swirl effect running through them but once you have used these a couple of times, this effects fades unfortunately.

I do like the 2 blushes on the left and the matte bronzers but the colour pay off from this palette is disappointing compared to the makeup revolution one. The right side of the pan is far too glittery and chunky to wear as a blush. This is again £6 from superdrug in very similar packaging. 

There is definitely a clear winner for me but I don't think they will beat the Maxfactor creme puff blushes as these are the closest dupe I have found to the Hourglass baked blushes. Saying this, I really do like the makeup revolution palette as it is such good value for money.

Thanks for reading

Katherine

xxx