Face of the Day - Russian Red

Hi beauties,

So I'm making the most of this lovely long break from work, and I thought I'd do a quick post on my make up look today! 

Face: 

Foundation - Rimmel Match Perfection (I love this foundation. For once a shade that 

works for my very pale skin!)

Concealer - Collection 2000

Powder - Rimmel Stay Matte in 001 Transparent

Eyes:

Primer - E.l.f. Eyelid primer in Sheer (I've heard this is a good dupe for Urban Decay primer potion - I couldn't say though as I haven't tried Urban Decay's. I plan on purchasing it soon though, so I'll do a little comparison)

Eye shadow - Naked 2 palette (Verve all over the lid, tease through the crease and a touch of snakebite in the outer corner) 

Mascara - Maybelline's The Falsies. This stuff is amazing!! It gives so much volume and length, I love it!

Cheeks:

Blush - Bourjois no 74 Rose

Lips:

Lipstick - MAC Russian Red Matte

I used to be scared to try bright lip colours, but I've really tried to experiment recently with bright and bold colours and I think a red lip looks so pretty on any skin tone - rock the red lip ladies!

Hope you're all having a lovely day!

xo

Mac Pro Palette Review

Hi beauties,

So I hit the sales yesterday, and unsurprisingly I only came home with one item that was actually discounted (most of the shops looked like they had been hit hard by Boxing Day shoppers, and I think I missed out!)

With the distinct lack of bargains around I decided to visit MAC. As I don't have one locally to me so it's always a bit of a novelty. I actually only owned one item from MAC, but I've been dying to add to my kit. As I've previously mentioned, my ambition is to become a make up artist, specifically focussing on bridal - I can't think of any thing better than helping a bride-to-be to look amazing on their big day.

MAC have a beautiful range of eyeshadow shades, and accessories. For make up kits (professional or individual use) they have a really useful palette in which you can store pan form products. I hear this is the newly redesigned palette, so here are my thoughts:

Palette £14 / Insert £6.50
Find these at MAC

This is a similar concept as the Z Palette, in that the base is magnetic so can be used on its own, or you can purchase an additional insert which separates eyeshadows out to fit 15 in total. The other new addition to this new design is a see-through lid, which is great for quick reference and to see all the beautiful shades you have to hand. 

The main downside of this product I have is that once you have the insert in place, the shadows are rather tricky to remove. If anyone has advise on this I'd greatly appreciate it! Nevertheless, the case itself is very sturdy and I feel that my eyeshadows are in safe hands!

Does any one have any suggestions of shadows they think are must haves? I bought Sable and Satin Taupe to get me started.

xo

Bioderma Sensibio H2O Cleanser Review

Hi beauties,

As Christmas comes to an end for another year, I turn my excitement to what the New Year will bring. I've begun thinking about my aspirations for 2013 (deep thinking!), but a nice little quick win I could put in place now was to improve my non existent skincare routine. I tend to be a grab-a-face-wipe and that'll do kind of girl. Quick, convenient and totally acceptable, but as I've got quite dry skin, it's definitely beginning to take its toll during these winter months - and I want some sparkle back! There's also something quite satisfying about taking your time to prep the skin and give it that much needed tlc of an evening.

So this moves me on to talk about a much hyped cleanser called Bioderma Sensibio H2O. At over £10 a bottle, it's a little on the pricey side but I think that's more to do with it being a French product and not so readily available in the UK. I bought mine off a seller on eBay, although I have since discovered the fab Beauty Guru Emporium site are selling a handy travel size version.

Although I haven't been using this product for very long now, I can definitely say that my first impressions are as positive as I was hoping they would be. To apply this cleanser I use a cotton pad and simply wipe it across my face. I found it removed my make up like a dream. The real bonus is that there is no need to rub too much, which is really important around the delicate eye area!

This product is also completely fragrance free, which I personally like as this can sometimes agitate the skin.  It left my skin soft to the touch, feeling clean and well, just rather lovely! Despite the rather expensive price tag, a little really does go a long way with this product so I would say that it does offer value for money.

With any new beauty routine, I think that if you've got any chance of keeping it up, you have to enjoy the products you're using, and most importantly, that they do exactly what they say they'll do! I definitely think Bioderma ticks those boxes.

Have any of you lovely ladies tried this cleanser before? Or any other suggestions for some great alternatives?

xo

Merry Christmas Beautiful Bloggers!

Hi beauties!

Just a very quick post to say a very Merry Christmas to you all - I hope you had a wonderful day! It's a joy to share such happy times, and I'm so grateful for all your lovely comments, having only recently joined this wonderful community.

Husband time / Richy's cat fire engine /
Play time / Time to indulge!

Lots of love and holiday wishes :)

Samantha

xo

Sigma Mr Bunny Make up Brushes Review

Hi beauties,

So for a long time now I've had a mix of various make up brushes, including ones from the Body Shop and more recently a few of the Real Techniques brushes (check out their great starter kit). But as I'm looking to build up my kit, I decided that it was really important to invest in a high quality brush set.

After a lot of research I purchased the Sigma Mr Bunny Essential kit at $120 (approx £70) - cruelty free brushes are a really important factor to me, and I love that these are 100% vegan. I purchased these directly from Sigma as the exchange rate was more in my favour than purchasing them from a UK supplier. I had to wait a little longer for shipping, but it was definitely worth it!

Firstly, I LOVE the packaging - it comes in such a lovely box! The 12-piece brush set also includes a case, which doubles up as a brush holder which I've found really handy.

These synthetic brushes come in two colours. The Mrs Bunny set is a gorgeous pink and baby blue, but for wear and tear, I thought the black set were more practical. They also have a really sleek and professional look.

Free eyeliner brush for spending over $30.

When I bought these, Sigma were offering a free gift for orders of $30. They quite often have offers and discount codes, so make sure you check online before you order! 

On to the brushes themselves...

Brushes from left to right:

E60 Large Shader - Uniformly cover the whole lid with product. Perfect for application of cream shadow base or cream shadow for quick and even coverage.

F40 Large Angled Contour - Use to softly contour the cheekbone or for blush application.

F60 Foundation - A smooth brush, perfect for applying liquid foundation.

F50 Duo Fibre - I use this for buffing out my foundation to create an airbrush effect. I like this brush, but I think I prefer my Real Techniques buffing brush as it has more density, making foundation easier to blend.

F30 Large Powder - This brush is sooo soft, and applies powder beautifully.

Brushes from left to right:

F70 Concealer - gets to the hard to reach areas such as around the nose and eyes.

E30 Pencil - Use to soften and smoke out lines. Or use to highlight the inner corner of the eyes.

E65 Small Angle - I've been loving using this to apply my gel eyeliner. 

E55 Eye Shading - Even application of colour, use in a patting motion to place colour across the lid and maximise colour pay-off.

E70 Medium Angled Shading - Use for brow highlighting or to blend the crease.

E05 Eye Liner - Create smooth and even lines.

I'd love to hear what your favourite make up brushes are!

xo

Getting Ready... Christmas Party Make up

Hi beauties,

So it was my work Christmas party last night and I wanted to share with you my outfit and make up look! I'm definitely in the festive mood - here's to winding down for the Christmas holidays! And for any one that is having a party/get together in the next few weeks... enjoy!


White dress - asos
Red clutch bag - New Look
Red Shoes - New Look

To create this festive inspired make-up look I used:

Rimmel's Match Perfection mixed with a bit Maxfactor's
Lasting Performance for extra coverage

Collection 2000 concealer

Maybelline the Colossal Volum'
Bobbi Brown blush in no 16 Peony - a super pretty vibrant pink!

Revlon Lipbutter in no 10 Raspberry Pie

'Sarah' Girls Aloud lashes

To apply this I used my trusty Sigma Mr Bunny make up brush set - I love these brushes so much. I'll do a separate blog post to talk about them in detail :)

Oh and yes, that is a picture of my cat on my iPhone case :)



What are your party make-up must haves?

xo

I heart Urban Decay Naked 2 Palette

Hi beauties,

I've taken a while to jump on the Urban Decay Naked palette bandwagon... but my willpower finally broke when I decided to purchase the Naked 2 palette a few weeks ago. And Oh My, where has this been all my life?! Full of shimmery neutral shades, this palette just screams pretty!

I purchased mine from BeautyBay for £36.00

I've read a few reviews that have said their only disappointment was that this didn't include the primer potion - instead it comes with a lip gloss (the minty turn-your-lips tingly kind), which is nice nonetheless. As I haven't tried the Urban Decay primer potion yet, I would have really enjoyed this addition to the palette. But hey, ho, I'll have to add it to my wish list.

My favourite combo is bootycall all over the lid with tease in the crease - perfect for everyday wear. A note of caution though... it's very easy to get carried away pilling on the shimmery shades which I found resulted in a lot of fallout, so remember less is more ladies :)

I'd love to hear about your favourite looks using this palette!

Bye for now!

xo

Meet Richy!

Hi beauties,

So I sure have the Sunday evening blues... does it really have to be Monday tomorrow?! Well, I thought to cheer us all up (or maybe just me, as I'm crazy about kitties) I'd formally introduce you to Richy aka Richard. He's my beautiful little kitty... and as all parents know, we all think ours are the most beautiful 'children' in the world :)

As a child who was never allowed a pet, as soon as myself and my husband Thomas bought our first home last year, we were straight to our local animal sanctuary to meet all the little kittens. There were so many cats there - I really wished I could have taken them all home! The reason I wanted to get a kitten, was to experience them growing up... I'll never forget the first time he saw snow, it was sooo cute!

The pics above are from when he was little right up to today. He loves nothing more than snuggling up somewhere warm. He's my little companion and I love him to bits!

Any one else as crazy about cats like me?

xo

Barry M Winterlicious Nails

Hi beauties!

So I've neglected my nails of late, and a trip to my local Superdrug was well overdue. I stopped by Barry M, as they always have loads of beautiful colours to choose from and they retail at a barginous £2.99! 

It was a particular cold day, so I went for a winter inspired combo - Blue Moon and Diamond Glitter to create a snowflake effect. 

Let me know if you ladies have any go-to winter combos!

xo

Christmas Party Dresses

It's time to get glam! With the festivities, many of us eagerly (ok, maybe not) await the work Christmas party. What's the Christmas season if it's not for embarrassing yourself in front of work colleagues! The least we can do is look good whilst doing so. And I, myself have been searching for the perfect outfit. 

This year we have a theme - not particularly original - but fun nonetheless. It's James Bond. So for any lovely ladies that are also looking, here's some pretty dresses that I felt were rather 'bondesque'!

Mango premium maxi dress £139 available from asos

The LBD £50 asos

Mango lace panel maxi £114.99 asos

Let me know what outfit you plan to wear this party season!

Samantha

xo

Perfect bridesmaid gifts

As you may have read on my 'about' page, I am a newlywed! I know it's cliche, but I really did have an amazing day, and I also enjoyed the many months spent months researching. The dress, theme, flowers... it was endless. I came across the most beautiful ideas and inspiration, one of which was the gifts I gave to my bridesmaids.

I had four lovely ladies as my bridesmaid. They did so much for me including a fabulous hen weekend, and I wanted to give them something to say thank you, and also an accessory for them to wear on the day.

Firstly, the gift bags... these little lovelies came with personalisation on the front and even matching tissue paper. And they were great value at only £1.35 each.

I got these fab gift bags from a lovely seller on ebay

Now to the gift itself! My wedding theme was vintage inspired, and I found these beautiful crystal hair slides. Adding that little bit of sparkle to their hair!

I purchased this vintage inspired crystal hair slide from a seller on etsy! She even gave me a discount as I was purchasing four - it's always worth asking, ladies!

Let me know if you'd like to see more bride related posts!

Lots of love.

xo

E.l.f. Mineral Eyeshadows

Hi beauties,

So I've been trying a few E.l.f products of late, as I've heard good things. Plus the affordable price points are always a bonus! 

I was quite taken by their mineral line. They contain:

• NO chemical additives
• NO parabens
• and No chemical dyes

Sounds good to me...

So I purchased two mineral eyeshadows as I was a completely spoilt for choice with the beautiful shades they had on offer. Oh yes, shimmery, pretty colours!

I'm in love! The first one I bought is called elegant. It's a gorgeous champagne colour, and is the perfect base colour or brow highlight.

Elegance £3.00 available at E.l.f

The second colour is caffeinated, which is a yummy taupe. Both are so pretty, and highly pigmented. 

Caffeinated £3.00 available at E.l.f

I will definitely be trying out more. Uh oh... I can see a collection starting!

xo

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It's never too early to put the Christmas tree up... right?

Hi beauties,

Well I don't know how you all feel, but I simply couldn't wait to get our Christmas tree up. It's been a tough year and everyone seems to be getting really festive! I think after the so called 'summer' we had, a lovely break with friends and family is the perfect remedy to pick us all up from those winter blues!

I recently purchased a few new decorations as we'd had some of ours for a few years now, and I wanted a change in colour scheme. I got the cute bell hearts and silver crackle effect baubles from Next. Not somewhere I'd usually think to go, but I was really impressed with their Christmas selection. Make sure you check them out!

Let me know if you know any other good places to shop for decorations this Christmas!

Bye for now,

xo

Space to dream…

Hi beauties,

So here it is… my first blog post! I’ve been an avid reader of beauty blogs for quite some time now, and this has long been a dream of mine to start my own!

For me, reading blogs gives that sense of a community, an escape and a place to dream. Since graduating a few years ago, I’ve been fortunate to work in marketing, which I do really enjoy. The thing I feel is missing, however, is that sense of creativity. The space to dream.

I’m an aspiring make up artist, and I’m hoping that by experimenting and learning new skills through blogging, I’ll fulfil my ambition to one day become a professional. It’s a long and dedicated process, and I’d like to take you all on the ride with me! So for now, expect reviews, pretty pictures and the odd rambling about my little kitty, Richy.

Bye for now,

xo