My Yearly Favourites

Hi guys

Happy New Year!!!! I hope your head doesn't hurt too much today ha-ha. 

I say it every year, but I cannot believe how quickly this year went and I also can't believe everything that happened in 2016. It felt like the year that every music legend was taken, there was numerous atrocities all over the world and there were some very important issues highlighted which will hopefully be the beginning of something very special. I also can't forget the UK voted to leave the EU, Donald Trump is the President of the USA with Nigel Farage being an unofficial spokesperson for Britain and Marmite almost caused a rammy in our local supermarkets! But lets leave all that behind, this post isn't meant to be heavy at all, I just couldn't believe the things that have happened and I wanted to reminisce. This post however, is all about beauty.

Lancome | Hypnose Volume -A- Porter Mascara

Hi guys,

I was lucky enough to be invited along to the launch of Lancôme’s new mascara last night and I got to see some familiar faces including Glasgow Beauty Blogger, A Life With Frills and The Girl in The Tartan Scarf but I also got to meet a lovely new blogger, Allergic to Average, who has found a niche in the market for corporate beauty and lifestyle. 

Lancôme have just celebrated their 80th Birthday and what an 80 years they`ve had. When anyone thinks of chic and sophisticated woman, the mind instantly wanders to the French as they do it so effortlessly and that’s exactly what Lancôme are all about, minimum effort, maximum effect! 

I have never tried anything from the Lancôme range as I’ve always thought of it to be a brand better suited to mature woman but looking at their new products I can safely say that they have made it more appealing to a younger generation. The packaging is sleek and the products are a little more "under thirty" friendly.

The Hypnose Volume-a-Porter Mascara* (£22.50) comes in a gorgeous gun metal tube which just oozes sophistication; I certainly wouldn’t mind showing this off to my friends and would probably just keep going into my makeup bag just to have a little glance now and then ha-ha, that’s how sad I am. The wand is something that I was quite excited about as it’s an elastomere brush (the first for Lancôme), meaning that it is flexible and moves with the lashes. I hate when I get mascara and the wand pulls at my lashes and leaves my eyes irritated but this doesn’t do that at all, it glides over the lashes perfectly and leaves every one coated without leaving them clumpy. I love the fact that the brush is small enough to fit in the corner of my eyes too as so many wands are either too big or they just don’t do the job. This formula is super creamy and can be used to build volume but please don’t expect a false lash effect as this mascara is all about sophistication, not drama.

As well as a stunning design, great wand and a formula that is both voluminous and creamy, the mascara contains 30% less beeswax than most mascara’s and contains Lancôme Native Rose Cells which conditions the eyelashes and leaves them feeling softer; it also leaves the mascara with a faint rose scent. Something I adore.

UPDATE: I wore this for 12 hours and had no smudging underneath my eyes or at the corners where I tend to have some excess mascara. This was a little difficult to remove due to its latex content. I went straight in with my Eve Lom Cleanser (from £40) and gently removed with a wet face cloth. I had to do this twice before it was removed successfully. I finally got every trace off after a third cleanse!

Now the mascara was the main reason for the beauty event but I was all over the Ombre Hypnose Stylos (£20) which are long lasting, creamy eyeshadow sticks with their own little sharpener attached, think By Terry Ombre Blackstar (£29) and you are almost there. These are the creamiest eyeshadows I have ever had the pleasure of trying. They can go straight on the eye without a primer and when I say they don’t budge once applied, I mean they don’t budge once applied! These little babies are waterproof, super pigmented and glide on the eye with such ease but you have to work quick as they dry super quick so I would suggest doing one eye at a time and blending quickly, add more colour if you want it to be more vibrant or dramatic but work quickly. With some cream eyeshadow sticks I always feel they tug on my eyelids but after feeling these and speaking with our beautiful model she assured me that they went on like butter. I swatched some of the shades and I honestly could not get them off of my hand. I washed the dishes, washed my hands numerous times throughout the night, had a shower and they were still hanging on for dear life. I will be 100% picking some of these up as soon as I get paid as they are amazing. They come in eight different shades ranging from a delicate gold to a warm bronze to a vibrant amethyst with everything else in between.

Lancome Ombre Hypnose Stylo swatches

A used Lancome Double Ended Eyebrow Brush

They also have Sourcils Gel (£19.50) which is an eyebrow gel-cream (comes in six different shades) these are super creamy and are highly pigmented. Using these along with the amazing Lancome Double Ended Eyebrow Brush (£19) above gives some serious definition to the brows. These are waterproof and will supposedly last 24hrs, I cannot promise this as I haven’t tried any but I was assured they would. Also, if you have dark brows and love gel eyeliner then the black shade will double up.

I couldnt resist a picture of Kate! Lancome at House of Fraser Glasgow

These products are amazing and have totally opened my eyes up to the Lancôme range. They are trying to be more current and trendy, which is apparent with these products. If you want something new, get down to House of Fraser and sample these, I would 100% recommend the Ombre Stylos as they are the best of the best.

Have you tried anything from this brand?

Would you try these new products?

Have you checked out my latest post featuring A New Scottish Scran Post? 

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House Of Fraser | Beauty Confidential

The amazing Mikee Becman from Laura Mercier working his magic
on Gemma by giving her Kylie Jenner lips.

Laura Mercier Bath

House of Fraser Beauty

Dior Stand

Giorgio Armani

Tom Ford

Laura Mercier

Chanel

Tennents Training Academy

House of Fraser Gifts

On my way to the event. Wearing an M&S Top and New Look Necklace.

Hello guys,

I`ve had quite an easy week as college is finished for a few weeks due to the Easter holidays so I have caught up with my blogging to do list and I’ve also attended my first ever blogger event! I was lucky enough to receive an invite from the lovely Paul over at House of Fraser to attend the Beauty Confidential event on Wednesday night. This was a showcase of all of the amazing brands within HOF including Laura Mercier, Chanel, Giorgio Armani, Tom Ford, Nars, Bobbi Brown and Urban Decay to name a few where we got to check out the SS15 collections.

I love the Glasgow HoF store, the decor is so decadent and extravagant especially with the grand staircases. I used to work in HoF before I met Liam and I always lusted over the beauty counters and enjoyed the many events they held for top celebrities but I adored the makeup counters the most, most of the girls were lovely but there were a few who I would never speak to as they were too up their own arse if you know what I mean.

I was a little nervous about attending as I haven’t met any other bloggers nor have I been to an event before, but I felt right at home by the girls and also the amazing staff at House of Frasers. Meeting fellow Scottish bloggers such as Gemma Agnes, Folklorique, Dusty Pearle, A Life With Frills, The Brantastic Life, Secret Little Stars and Glasgow Beauty Blogger was such a great experience as it was so good talking to girls with the same interests and who also blog about beauty, fashion and lifestyle too. After meeting the girls and having a cheeky glass of champagne in Hugh`s Champagne Bar we then moved on to a chat with Mikee Becman who is a makeup artist with Laura Mercier, this was the highlight of my night as he gave us some great tips and tricks.

As well as filling our champagne glasses and feeding us too many chocolates, Mikee showed us how to achieve the "Kylie Jenner Lip" using the Laura Mercier Anti-Feathering Lip Pencil in Natural Lip (£18.50) and their Laura Mercier Crème Smooth Biscotti Lip Colour (£21). As this is a hot topic at the moment, it was quite good as it really helped me understand how to define my lips without overdrawing them. He then showed us how to achieve a finished eye look by using the Laura Mercier Brow Pencil (£17.50) to create a fuller looking brow without making it too dark and heavy. He also created fuller looking lashes by applying product to the upper lash line and a small coating of mascara. His final look of the night was a bright red lip using Laura Mercier Paint Wash Liquid Lip Colour in Red Brick (£22) which has a demi matte finish and also a little contour action which left Folklorique looking even more stunning.

Once we were finished, we headed down to the amazing Beauty Hall within HOF and it was wild! It was so busy. There were so many great things to look out for such as more champagne (I refrained) cocktails by the Tennents Training Academy (I only had one), kale shots with Nails Inc., cupcakes, demonstrations with Jamie Coombes who is an amazing makeup artist with Dior and a lot more. To say this was a major success is putting it lightly. Not only did we have a great time but everyone was given an amazing goodie bag with a lot of gorgeous products including a full sized Marc Jacobs Daisy Dream (from £39) and a Just Cavelli bag.

HoF are offering £10 off of their favourites buys with any other purchase and if you have a Beauty Recognition card, its double points! I remember all my customers going crazy when they knew it was double points so try and pick up one if you can as it helps towards pricier products.

There are many great products including the Urban Decay Naked Palettes (£37), Bobbi Brown Shimmer Bricks (£34), Giorgio Armani Luminous Silk Foundation (£34) and a whole lot more. I ended up buying the Urban Decay Naked Skin Weightless Concealer (£17.50) which is by far the best concealer I have tried in a loooong time! The Beauty Confidential event is running from now until Sunday 19th April so grab a friend, lover, mother, sister, anyone to go along and check out some of the best brands out there which are all situated under one roof. Also, check out the champagne bar on the 1st floor, it’s gorgeous!

Have you checked out my latest post featuring A DIY Sugar Scrub?  I can also be found on Twitter | Pinterest | Instagram |   

My Student Friendly Everyday Face

Hi guys,

I had a bit of writers block recently and couldn’t find any inspiration but after spending a few hours online I started to get my mojo back and decided to put together a student friendly post. I didn’t see anyone with this post, although I’m sure there will be a few out there as it’s obviously not an original idea. I myself am a student; I decided to go back to college after working for 12 years in the customer service industry either in retail, hairdressing or a good old fashioned call centre to study accounting. I figured I was good with numbers so I might as well get a grown up career where I can use my skills to the best of my abilities. So far I have completed a HNC and one of my major exams within the HND program, both with A pass marks which was a bit of a shock but I am proud of what I have accomplished and hope to get another A or B on my final exam in May! What I am trying to say is, I understand the money struggles that go hand in hand with the student lifestyle so I wanted to put together a beauty based post for all you students out there or younger readers who don't have a lot of spare cash.

I have combination skin, I have an oily tzone and dry cheeks every so often and I also suffer from sensitive skin. I have picked products that work best for my skin type. I prefer powder products but if you want to substitute out for cream based products then feel free to do so.

As everyone knows, the morning make up routine can be a bit of a struggle as we are tired and might not be arsed putting on a full face. I normally keep all of my items on top of my dresser so I can grab them, shove them on my face and not worry about spending more than five minutes applying. I start my morning by cleansing my face and applying my skincare products. I then have my breakfast, a cuppa tea and get dressed to allow my skincare to absorb.

I have seven go to products and I start off by applying my Bourjois Healthy Mix Foundation (£9.99) and blend this in very quickly with my Real Techniques Buffing Brush (part of the core collection £21.99). Normally I don’t have time to apply a primer so I make sure I spend an extra minute or two perfecting my foundation. I then apply some Rimmel Wake Me up Concealer (£5.49) under my eyes and on any blemishes before patting in with my fingers. Once my base is good I then work a little Rimmel Stay Matte Pressed Powder (£3.99) all over my face and then apply some Crème Puff Blusher (£8.99) in 15 Seductive Pink, the name suggests it’s a cream product but it’s very much a powder product. 

Once my face is all good to go, I apply Soap and Glory Archery Brow Tint and Pencil (£10) to my brows and comb through. I then apply the best eyeliner ever, in my opinion, the NYC Liquid Eyeliner in Pearlised Black (£2.49) (sometimes I miss this step if I am really running late) and then coat my lashes in the gorgeous Maybelline Lash Sensational Mascara in Very Black (£7.99) and that’s me done. When I am going to college I can’t really be bothered picking out the perfect lipstick so I normally throw on whatever lip balm is in my bag or jacket pocket and then run out the door. I always set my makeup with some setting spray as I am running out the door ha-ha.

Superdrug and Boots normally have 3 for 2 offers so if you are buying any of these, pick your favourite 3 and you will get the cheapest one free. Superdrug also offers free delivery on all orders over £10 so TAKE ADVANTAGE! I would also highly recommend getting a Boots Advantage Card and a Superdrug Beauty card which you can get in store as they allow you to save up your points which can go towards something special later on down the line.

What products what be in your Student Friendly make up bag?

Do you use any of these products?

Have you checked out my latest post featuring Double Cleansing?  I can also be found on Twitter | Pinterest | Instagram |   

Lets Talk Brows, Shall We?

Hi guys,

Brows have been a major talking point for the last couple of years and I am no stranger to trying out the numerous brow products out there at the moment. Anastasia Beverly Hills has really took the beauty world by storm with her Brow Wiz (£16) and Dipbrow Pomade (£15). I have yet to try the brow wiz but I wasn’t overly impressed with the Dipbrow Pomade as it felt it dispersed too much product and made my brows look a little worse for wear. 

This post isn’t about ABH but rather about how I fill my brows and keep them looking perfect all day. The first thing I do is remove any stray hairs with my tweezers. I normally have my brows threaded and that keeps them in check for about three weeks but I normally have one or two hairs come back so I pluck them out. I then take the pencil side of my Soap and Glory Archery Brow Tint and Pencil (£10) and put a firm line along the bottom of my brows. I blend this upwards using a spoolie so diffuse the product and to take away the harsh line while keeping the underneath look crisp. This is a great dupe for the ABH Brow Wiz if you can’t justify spending £15 on a brow product. I then take the shade tease from my Urban Decay Naked 2 Palette (£37). This looks very light but it does on a lot darker and helps to fill in the middle of my brows without looking harsh. I then take my spoolie again and diffuse the product. I don’t like my brows to be too dark, even though I have dark hair, I stick to the rule of going two shades lighter than my hair colour. If my arch looks a little meh, I go back in with the S & G pencil and carve that out and then blend it downwards. To set everything in place I run the Ardell Brow Sculpting Gel in Light Brown (£3.89) through them and hey presto I have perfect brows.

If I am going on a night out, I will run some concealer round my eyebrows to carve out the shape a little more and to make them look cleaner. I then add a little highlighter on the brow bone to make my eyes stand out. I normally use Laura Mercier Matte Radiance Highlighter (£24) or Mac Mineralize Skinfinish in Soft and Gentle (£23) and that's them finished! I am pretty happy with my brows at the moment but I am sure I will find another perfect way when I get bored ha!

If you wanted to try out any other products I would suggest Rimmel Professional Eyebrow Pencil (£2.99) which has a little comb on it to comb out the product or the Charlotte Tilbury Brow Lift (£22.50) which also has a comb and an angled edge to really get in there and sculpt out the perfect brow. I also love the Rimmel Brow This Way Styling Gel (£3.99) in Mid Brown to keep my brows in place. This disperses a good amount of colour on the brow and I find this is great when I am in a rush.

What products are you using at the moment?

Do you have any recommendations?

Have you checked out my latest post featuring Another Naughty Haul? I can also be found on Twitter | Pinterest | Instagram |