Nineteen

It was my birthday whole two weeks ago now, so today I figured I'd show you the gifts I was lucky enough to receive, as personally I love 'what I got for my birthday' type posts. We attempted to have a BBQ in the rain, which was interesting to say the least.. and I'm pretty sure I've had enough burgers to last me a life time! Along with cake.. Tesco had a 3 for 2 offer so my Mum picked up three birthday cakes! Never again can she judge me in Boots! 

Speaking of three for twos, I was in Superdrug with my Mum the other day eyeing up the new Maybelline lasting drama gel liner. I put it back on the stand because it was around £9 which I think quite expensive for a highstreet product, this resulted in my mum picking it back up and announcing she was going to buy it for my birthday. I'm so happy she did as I love this product and should have a review going up soon! As there was a 3 for 2 on, I had to pick two other products so I ended up getting this Maybelline superstay better skin foundation which I had a sample of and loved, along with this Max factor face finity primer. My good friend Angelica from  LFA also got me some lovely beauty goodies, including this Topshop glow stick in play up which I've been lusting after for some time now and an array of pretty nail polishes from kiko, She also got me this really pretty rose shaped lipbalm which i look forward to throwing in my bag as its really cute!

I love bath & body products so I was super excited when I opened this Laura Mercier gift set from a family friend. The set contains Laura Mercier's Crème de Pistache body wash, body cream, hand cream and perfume. I've been lusting over Laura Mercier for such a long time so expect to see some posts about this in the future!

I was also lucky enough to get a few bits of jewelry from friends including this necklace and two lovely bracelets. I was also really happy to get these really cute Disney PJ bottoms from a friend along with these pretty socks and candle which i cant wait to burn.

My Mum always tries to get me some new DVDs and books to go along side my other presents, this year she got me two DVDs; Going the Distance and burn after reading. She also picked up The Fault in our stars by John Green which I cant wait to read! One of my flatmates also brought me a Wreck this journal which I've wanted to own for years so I was super happy about that!

I'm a huge chocolate addict so was super happy to receive an excessive amount! Including a few of my favourites! I've been so busy lately that I some how have two boxes left, although that's nothing a couple of Netflix nights cant solve!

Finally I wanted to make an investment, rather than wasting my money on clothes and make up, so instead of having a shopping trip with the money I was lucky enough to be given, I put it all together and added a little of my own to buy myself a reconditioned ipad2.

So there you have it everything I was lucky enough to get for my birthday this year!

Essence Blogger Launch

Last weekend myself and Angelica had the pleasure of attending an Essence Blogger event, which only made me more excited about the budget friendly brands launch in the United Kingdom. I've heard so much about these guys from other bloggers in the past, so I'm ecstatic that we can now pick their products up nationwide in Wilkinson's from July.

Before last week I really didn't realise just how extensive Essence's range of products was.. they literally stock everything with a pretty impressive shade range too! But I think the thing I was most blown away with was the price point, I knew they were a budget brand before although I didn't realise just how amazing the products were for the price point!

We got a chance to try out the products the brand had to offer, The Essence girls were also on hand to tell to help and demonstrate how to use particular products.

One of the lovely product developers Patricia was around to show us her favourite products, she also recommend a bunch of products she thought I would love which was really helpful given the sheer amount of products Essence have to choose from.

Although the majority of our time was spent talking nails, and being taught how to use the Essence gels at home by the amazing Laure, we also met one of our new favourite people Rachel here. Like everything else, I was once again I was amazed with the price point of the gel at home kit, and adored the fact that you could use normal polishes from the range which retail at £1.59 along side the base and top coat to create a range of gel nail looks rather than spending a silly amount on just one which has been designed to be a gel polish.

The steps to create your desired look were very simple, although i know I'll be reviewing this soon so I wont say too much in this post!

Once our nails were complete I got my make up done by Nadira, who pulled me away from my comfort zone, and used some brighter shades on my eyes, While I cant say I'll be sporting purple eyeshadow everyday it definitely made me consider brighter shades on a night out. Like everyone, she was also really lovely, and just as amazed by some of the products as I was.

Lastly we were whisked away from the event to the White City Westfield where we were given a sneak preview of the new stand which opened as of Monday, How they've managed to cram so much into one stall is beyond me and its well worth a look if you're in the area! All in all I had a wonderful day, and would like to say a massive Thank you to Essence! Not only were Essence girls so so lovely, I was totally overwhelmed by there generosity. You can expect to see a load of Essence reviews coming your way as I am so impressed with this brand! Lastly a big Thanks to LFA, for letting me steal a few pictures in this post while my camera was playing up - You're a star!

May Favourites

 May has definitely been one of my more hectic months. This may I officially finished my first year at university, made the move back home and celebrated my 19th birthday. On top of that I'm going away for a few days at the start of next month meaning things aren't slowing down anytime soon! Although this month I have still discovered some amazing products and figured today I would share my favourites with you guys.

Benefit Bronze of Champions (£26.50)  - I did a full review on this product here so I wont go too much into it, although I will say that this little kit is full of gems and I love each and every one of them!

Barry M Nail Paint in Sugar Apple (£3.99) - I actually borrowed this favourite from a friend although love it so much I know I'm going to get my own! This is just a lovely shade for this time of year and I love wearing it on my nails. Expect a full review soon!

Rimmel Lash Accelerator Mascara (£7.99) - A friend brought me this mascara for Christmas, and to be honest I didn't think I was going to like it. Although since finally trying it a few weeks ago I've been using this daily, It just does alot for my lashes and doesn't budge all day!

Headmasters Heat Defence Serum* and Super Smooth Brow Dry cream*- I cant seem to find these online, although have spotted this pair in discount stores such as Home Bargains so figured I'd still talk about them. I got these in at an event last year, although have only just gotten around to using them. This duo just leaves my hair feeling amazing, and I only need a pea sized amount of each meaning they will last ages.

Enrapture Styling Wand (£17.99) - This beauty is my favourite Home Bargains find ever, I'm just obsessed with it. I've literally used my straighteners once since picking this up earlier this month which is a record for me! I love that you can chance each section although personally I find that 1-1-1 gives my hair the desired effect.

Makeup Revolution The One Concealer

Continuing my love affair with Makeup Revolution, I figured today I would share my new favourite under eye concealer with you guys. I've been wanting to try a hydrating concealer for some time now, so when I spotted this beauty on the Makeup Revolution's website I had to give it a try! Makeup Revolution's the one concealer in  the shade light is one of the lightest concealers I've discovered on the high street which makes it great for brightening my under eye area, and prefect for the pale among us! Although with that in mind there is a medium and dark shade available too!

The balmy outer ring leaves the skin under my eyes feeling nourished throughout the day. Makeup Revolution's the one concealer also manages to last all day without any cracking. The packaging is pretty sturdy and looks like it could survive my handbag, although if there's one fault with this it would be that the gold writing fades awfully quickly, in fact there isn't a trace of it left on my current tube.

I love this little bargain find! You can get yours for just £3 here.

The British Beauty Blogger Dream Box..

When I heard that British Beauty Blogger was releasing another beauty box, I knew I had to get my hands on one. What's more this time she has joined forces with Latest in Beauty create the best beauty box I have ever purchased. I was already a massive fan of Latest in beauty, in fact I believe this is about the 5th time I've ordered from them, so I was pleased to see this lovely package arrive at my house just two days after ordering. When they said there wasn't even room for tissue paper they weren't kidding, this box was full to the brim with 15 products!  Another thing I loved about this box was the little book inside telling you a little bit about every product. I just think this was a really personal touch and I love that so much thought has been put into every product!

Kneipp Herbal Baths (Full Size 100ml worth £7.95) - There were two scents of this available, and I got the Mandarin Orange one. I'm a little bit ill at the moment meaning my sense of smell is rubbish. However if there's one thing I can tell you about this product it's that the smell is really strong, which is probably ideal considering the box advises users to add just a capful to their baths. I really love that this comes in a glass bottle too, It just makes it feel that little bit classier.

Janjira Hand Wash (50ml Worth £3.20) - Admittedly this is one of the less exciting products in the box, although still useful and as Jane pointed out in her video this would be great to keep in your handbag for on the go which is what I plan to do with this. I got this in Thai lime & ginger, although the argan oil one was also in some boxes.

Elemis Treat Your Feet  (20ml Worth £6.00) - The only foot cream I've ever really used is Heel Genuis from Soap & Glory, so it will take a lot to convert me. Although with flip flop season fast approaching I'm willing to give this a try, Its also a great size for traveling too.

 Roger & Gallet Gingembre Rouge (1.5ml vial) - Again my sense of smell is really off at the moment so I cant really tell you what I think of the scent, although personally I love these little perfume samples as they're perfect for throwing in my handbag.

Bee Good Honey & Wild Water Mint 3-in-1 Cleansing Water (Full Size 100ml worth £10.00) - I love cleansing waters so I'm willing to give this one a go, I also really like the packaging and thought it did a pretty good job when I tested it out last night.

La Roche-Posay Thermal Spring Water (50ml worth £4.00) - I think these waters are so handy to have in the summer, especially if you're like me and get hot way too quickly!

L'Occitane Divine Lotion (50ml worth £10.50) - I'm really excited to try this one and think its a great sample size! You simply add this between cleansing and moisturising which i think is an interesting idea, I cant wait to see the effects!

Benefit it's potent! eye cream (3g worth £4.96) - I've been loving eye creams lately so this is a welcomed addition, again this is quite a nice sample size so should last me a couple of weeks.

Too Faced Better Than Sex Mascara (Full Size 8ml worth £19.00) - I was utterly amazed when I saw that this box contained a full size better than sex mascara, this beauty has been popping up on so many blogs so I'm really excited to try it out for myself.

Makeup Revolution Awesome Eyeshadow & Eyebrow Palette (Full Size worth £4.00) - I've been loving make up revolution lately, although personally this palette just isn't my cup of tea and I will be passing it along to my sister who I'm sure will find a use for it. There were four different palettes up for grabs.

LOLA Make Up Kabuki Brush (Full Size worth £19.00) - I've never tried a kabuki brush before so I'm excited to try this one out! It feels really soft and I love the small size of it!

Charlote Tilbury K.I.S.S.I.N.G Lipstick sacet - Despite being a rather small sample size I think this lipstick sachet is adorable and I look forward to putting this lipstick to the test! I got the shade
So Marilyn. 

Essie polish (Full Size worth £7.99) - There were quite a few Essie shades, and I got  Hide and Go chic which is this lovely blue shade that I look forward to wearing in the coming months. I'm a huge fan of Essie and am happy to have another in the collection.

REN Satin Perfection BB Cream (3ml worth £1.56) - I'm a big fan of BB creams so I cant wait to try out this one from REN!

Bourjois Cream Blush (Full size worth £7.99) - I'm a huge fan of cream blush, although for some reason I have never tried one from Bourois! So I look forward to trying this shade out, I got shade 01!

So there you have it everything in my British Beauty Blogger Dream Box! For under £20 I got £106.15 worth of products (and that's not including the couple I couldn't get values for)! Sadly this sold out pretty quickly, although Latest in Beauty have five up for grabs here, so its worth entering if you missed out.

Topshop cream blush in 'Head Over Heels'

If you've been here for a while you may know that I'm a big fan of Topshop make up. The obsession started when I got this 'up in the air' cream blush duo in the Christmas sales over a year ago now, and since then my collection has rapidly grown. Although my most loved Topshop product happens to be this cream blush in head over heels. Since taking these pictures last summer, I've pretty much worn this beauty every day, so much so that I've hit pan, something I've never achieved with a blush before!

As always with Topshop products I'm a huge fan of the packaging, I just love the simplicity of this design, and think it looks really cute in my make up bag! It's also really sturdy and contains a mirror which is always a bonus. The product itself looks extremely scary in the pan (and even swatched for the matter) however once blended on the cheeks this transforms into the most beautiful 'flushed' shade which caused me to reach for this product everyday. 

What I love about this product is that it blends like a dream whether your using your fingers or a brush, although personally I prefer using a Real Techniques stippling brush to get the job done as it cuts down on mess. You only need a small amount of this too meaning it will last ages, plus I rarely feel the need to top this up throughout the day.

This is probably my all time favourite blush, and I can see myself replacing it when it runs out! You can pick up head over heels here for £7. Do you own any Topshop make up?

Makeup Revolution Iconic 3 Palette

If there's one product everyone seems to be talking about lately it's this little beauty from Make Up Revolution.  At just £4, this palette appears to be a pretty good match to Urban Decay's Naked 3 filled with 12 rosey toned neutrals. The Iconic 3 provides a real mix of shimmer and matt shades meaning there's something for everyone and I was really pleased to find that these matt shades were just as good as their shimmey counter parts which isn't always guaranteed with cheaper eyeshadows.
While personally I prefer creating looks with the darker shades towards the right of the palette, I have been pleasantly surprised with wearability of some of the pinker shades. Applied on top of a decent eye primer the eyeshadow was still around eight hours later, albeit a little faded. As you can see below the shades are pretty pigmented considering the low price tag, although unfortunately the first shade matches with my skintone so isn't visible here.

At just £4 I think this palette is a complete steal! Have you tried anything from make up revolution?