Inside this GORG pink metal suitcase, you will find 10 of the most popular Soap & Glory products, mostly skincare with two makeup items:

This year, the Boots Star Gift Set for Christmas 2016 is one you don't want to miss. Trust me. The Whole Glam Lot gift set is normally £60, but you can get it for half price at just £30! (And if you work for Boots, like myself, you can get it for £26.25!!!!) - And because I work for Boots, I can tell you that you can still get your hands on this beauty until.... Thursday, 15th December (2016).

It's an absolute steal and would make a fabulous Christmas present. It comes in a little mini suitcase, covered in selfies from Soap & Glory fans over the year! 

I'm really impressed with the section this year, there's something for everyone and a great mix of some of Soap & Glory's best sellers. My particular favourites are the Sugar Crush Body Wash (smells of lime, so amazing!), the Mother Pucker Lip Gloss and Hand Food Hand Cream.

All of the products within the set excluding the case are worth £78.64, so to get everything as well as the case for £30 (or £26.25) is absolutely incredible value and there is no doubt that this set will sell out VERY quickly, as all of the Soap & Glory Star Gifts sell out early due to the brand’s popularity and value for money. I can’t think of any female who wouldn’t want to receive this set for Christmas, it’s such a gorgeous gift and I love the combination of skincare, bodycare and makeup.

Around a week ago, I hit Boots to check if I could find anything that would draw out a few spots I’ve been getting lately, and the design of the Quick Fix masks really drew me in. It looks very simple and powerful, and more at home with men’s skincare than the pretty products that belong in with the women’s skincare.

There was quite a few different Quick Fix masks, but I went for the for congested and lifeless skin. I wanted a clay mask as I find it draws out spots ad impurities really well but there wasn’t any and I’ve used charcoal products before and got on well with them. As well as charcoal, the mask contains dragon fruit and cinnamon.

The colour of this mask is really unusual, I expected it to be pure grey but it has a blue tinge to it. If you look really closely, it’s grey with lots of tiny blue specks. It has an unusual smell too, kind of fake? But nice at the same time. To use, you spread a thick layer on clean skin and leave for five to ten minutes, before removing with warm water. I’ve used this twice, and I left it on for around an hour both times. Not on purpose, just because I always get too comfortable and lazy when wearing masks. I definitely wouldn’t advise leaving the mask on this long, as it turns from being purifying to being really drying and my skin felt quite stripped afterwards. I tried it again for around 15 minutes and it was a lot less stripping, although I did still need a good moisturise afterwards.

Despite being quite drying, I do really like this mask. I’ve had a few spots while testing it out and it’s definitely helped to draw out my smaller blemishes. I feel like my skin looks and feels smoother after using it each time too.

I would recommend this mask if you suffer from blemishes and blackheads and don’t want to spend a lot on a face mask, but I’d also recommend you get a good moisturiser so you can hydrate your skin again afterwards. I’ve recently found these two products which are more expensive but work amazingly on cystic acne, so I’d recommend them 100%.

Have you tried any Quick Fix face masks? Or have you got a favourite mask I need to know about?

The bag is soft and well-made, a love that so much attention was given to the details - the satin-like lining with an inscription and the metal zipper with an oriental design. Such a lovely bag.

I got these for the eye-watering price 75 € + shipping which wasn't cheap either. I ordered from the official website and it arrived really fast, I believe it was three days, but it is from Germany, so not that far. These are also sold on Beauty Bay, but for some reason they don't ship these in Slovenia (because god forbid we'd get free shipping with these). They are also sold in Austrian Douglas shop, I'm just no sure it's sets as well because I hear they don't have palettes. I also hear that Zoeva keeps raising their prices which is very unjust to their customers and it almost made me not order from them.

Do I think this is the perfect set? No. But, it's close. The blending brushes are outstanding and that 235 Contour Shader  as well as 231 Luxe Petite Crease deserve all the praise, but I prefer Mac's 239 for a classic shader brush to Zoeva's 232 Luxe Classic Shader, my Alverde bent eyeliner brush to 310 Spot Eyeliner and my other cut eyeliner brushes to 322 Brow Line. I would build a different set from all the brushes they have available and though you could do that by buying brushes individually, it would exceed the price of the set by a large margin. I've found two dupes: Zoeva's 230 Luxe Pencil and MAC's 219 as well as Jessup's brush from the 5pc set and Zoeva's 142 Concealer Buffer. Some brushes I know I won't use much, but there are some that are absolutely fantastic and have already become my all-time favourites. If you plan to buy any of the individually, I highly recommend 231 Luxe Petite Crease brush, 228 Luxe Crease, 235 Contour Shader and 227 Luxe Soft Definer.

I wanted to speak to you about GoSend and how it can help us when it comes to buying beauty products, clothing etc from US brands. If you have ever been to the US or heard of friends going you know that the shopping is amazing there and a lot of people take an extra suitcase just to put their new clothes and makeup products in. Hahahah. America is known for it's bargains, especially when it comes to designer purchases.

Barry M (available here)

One of the best brands to pick up whilst in the UK as it still isn’t too widely available everywhere else, their Dazzle Dust are quite underrated if you love shimmery shadow but their nail paints are a must try and very affordable. They offer everything from nail care to glitter and gel effect polishes.

Bourjois (available here)

Available quite readily in Europe Bourjois has really high quality products at great prices. Although their foundations break me out I think they are a great drugstore option for anyone that doesn’t have sensitive skin. Their blushers are some of my absolute favourites but their concealers and lipsticks are also worth a look.

Collection (available here)

Very affordable drugstore brand, I personally find the Lasting Perfection Concealer a little drying but it’s very affordable and highly rated by so many people that it’s a must try.

Gosh (available here)

Surprisingly this was the hardest brand for me to pick a top product from, everything is nice but there isn’t really anything I can’t live without. Other than the Velvet liners, the lipsticks and blushers are also both really nice.

L’Oreal (available here)

L’Oreal True Match foundation is an absolute must have with a nice colour selection but the liners, neutral eyeshadow palettes and lipsticks are also worth picking up.

Makeup Revolution (available here)

Known for offering affordable alternative to cult beauty products, their palettes and lipsticks are great alternatives to highend brands.

MaxFactor (available here)

Although I love the whole range, no other drugstore brand offers better volumising mascaras than MaxFactor, I don’t have a particular favourite but all the ones I have tried have been great.

Maybelline (available here)

Great all round brand but the Instant Eye Eraser is a great alternative to highend concealers and I would quite happily swap my usual cocnealer for it. I also really like Dream Flawless Nude Foundation, Brow Satin Eye Pencil and their Color Sensational Lipsticks.

Models Own (available here)

Models Own started by offering nail polishes and I still think it’s what they do best. My favourite colours are Beach Bag and Utopia although their Hypergel and glitters are generally great ranges.

MUA (available here)

Anther super inexpensive UK beauty brand, their eyeshadow palettes are also great value for money!

Real Techniques (available here)

Probably my favourite brush brand, their original collection is still by far my favourite along with their sponge, I would personally skip the bold metals collection (although they look beautiful) as they’re pricier and not as soft.

Revlon (available here)

Revlon is a great brand for almost everything and it has quite a makeup artist feel to it. If you like lip crayons then Revlon do the best affordable ones.

Rimmel (available here)

Theres so many great items from Rimmel, the whole Exaggerate range is excellent, I love their lipsticks and I reach for their foundations and concealers regularly.

Sleek Makeup (available here)

Has a special place in my heart as I use to blog about Sleek endlessly when I first started blogging. Palettes, blushers and Matte Me in Birthday Suit are all well loved in my collection.

Soap & Glory (available here)

Slightly higher price point in comparison for drugstore products but I adore their body products. Other great product include Brow Archery, Supercat liner and Thick & Fast Mascara

Topshop (available here)

Not strictly drugstore as it’s available only in Topshop stores but a great price point. All the lip products, blushers, bronzers and nail polishes I have tried have been fab but the glow highlighter has to be the best cream affordable one I own.

Would love to hear your drugstore recommendation in the comments, are there any drugstore secrets I am missing?

There are very few brands that can really do this to me, I am so fortunate to have more than enough makeup but there’s something about the Charlotte Tilbury range that really makes me happier than any other (along with Tom Ford and MAC). That said here’s my quick guide on what to buy and what you can possibly skip from the CT.

The first product I ever got from the range was a Colour-coded eyeshadow quad in Dolce Vita for Christmas2014 and this palette is now my absolute favourite quad! I can’t recommend the quads highly enough, they’re beautifully packaged with a useful mirror, the colours are perfectly selected, they’re creamy and blendable- just perfect! Dolce Vita is my absolute favourite but Golden Goddess is a close second and Vintage Vamp is stunning too.

I recently added her Colour Chameleon (Bronzed Garnet), Nocturnal Cat Eyeshadow (in The Huntress) and Rock ‘N’ Kohl (in Amber Moon) eyeliner to my collection. The Colour Chameleons are really lovely and creamy, with very wearable shades. I personally don’t love eyeshadow crayons but if you do these are a great option. I reach for mine on a regular basis as I use it to line my lower lash liner and it’s the perfect product to do this with. The Nocturnal Cat Eyeshadow came as a duo with the Rock ‘n’ Kohl and they’re probably one of the few CT products I would skip, don’t get me wrong, they’re nice but nothing overly special. The single eyeshadow isn’t as creamy as the quads and I find that the shimmer is also a little denser, the eyeliners are nice but I think you get get some which are just as nice from the drugstore.

Onto lips, I only have two lipstick and a lip liner. The Lip Cheat (lip liner) I have is in Pillow Talk which is probably her most famous, the colour is a perfect nude and I really do think it helps give a plump look to the lips. The lipsticks are also amazing, I love their rose gold packaging and the quality of the actual product is one of the best I own. I have Red Carpet Red which is a Matte Revolution (review here), very glam, true red and Hepburn Honey which is part of the Kissing range, warm toned peachy nude.

I had the Filmstar Bronze & Glow for a really long time but it is pretty pricey at £49. When I first got it I wasn’t wow’d but the more I use it the more I love it, it’s a really easy to use, natural but still beautiful contour and highlight palette. That said it’s still almost £50 which isn’t cheap, if I were to break it I probably wouldn’t run out to replace it, despite the fact I use it almost daily. I don’t have the Powder & Sculpt brush which I have heard makes this product particularly amazing.

I hadn’t heard much about the blushers before I got the Cheek to Chic in Sex On Fire, the quality is beautiful; finely milled, as pigmented as I’d like and buttery soft but this shade just isn’t quite right for me.

I also tried the Brow Lift a while back and really loved it, the Feline Flick is also really nice but just didn’t last long enough for me to justify a repurchase.

I’m hoping to add more incredible Charlotte Tilbury lipsticks to my collection over the next few months as well as try the Magic Foundation which has been top of my wishlist since it launched. Would love some CT recommendations in the comments and to hear your thoughts on the range.

So when Benefit released the Air Patrol BB Cream Eyelid Primer- I was pretty damn intrigued. It had never even crossed my mind that you would ever use a BB cream on your eyelids. I liked the idea of the soft CushionCalm tip which looked so lovely and squishy.

The Air Patrol primer contains a SPF 20 and is designed to help protect your eyelids against the sun, smoke and pollutants with its EnviroDefend complex. It also doubles up as primer to keep your eyeshadow from budging. I found that it does prevent the product from creasing and the you can apply it with the cushioned tip, but I find it's easier to blend in with your fingers.

I says only one click is needed per eye but I found it dried out really quickly and the cream of stuck in the tube, so you had to click more to push out the dried gunk- not nice! I'm sure that this would be a perfect applicator if the product was something like an eye cream for under the eyes and not a primer. It would be much easier to use in the evening or morning as a clear gel or moisturiser formula. As there is only one shade of this product- if you had super fair skin, it would be too dark for you- and if you had very dark skin then it would look super pale on you. 

I definitely wouldn't pay full price for this and I'm really disappointed as it has a lot of potential, it just fell a bit flat for me.

Every brand seems to be jumping on the liquid lipstick bandwagon, and Essence have released five shades of Liquid Lipstick and they retail for just £2.50 each from Wilko. The new Essence Liquid Lipsticks are described as being a 2 in 1 formula which combines the coverage of a lipstick, with the shine of a lipgloss. The packaging is very obviously inspired by the Dior Fluid Stick packaging, with a lipstick bullet shape within the centre. I really like the packaging, and that the lids are colour coordinated to reflect the shade inside which is perfect if you own multiple shades.

From the five shades on offer, I have three of the shades; 01 Colour Party, 04 Show Off! and 06 Make a Statement. Even though the shade range is pretty limited, I’d like to think they’ll add more shades in the future as Essence usually have really great shade ranges across their makeup line, but the shades do cover all bases with nudes, pinks and a couple of reds so there’s bound to be at least one shade that’ll suit everyone.

Each of the Essence Liquid Lipsticks have a doe foot applicator which is quite narrow rather than the rounded shape you usually get with a doe foot applicator, and I find this narrower shape makes for a much more precise application, and the middle of the applicator features a small well which holds extra product so you don’t have to keep dipping the applicator back into the tube for more product which again is similar to the Dior Fluid Sticks.

Colour Party is my favourite shade from the three that I own, and is a pretty light pink which looks a little bubblegum-esque in the swatch above but on the lips it’s a lot more muted I can assure you. Show Off! is a bright reddy coral shade which almost looks neon on the lips, and Make a Statement is a dark reddy brown shade which isn’t particularly flattering on my pale skintone, but I imagine it’d look lovely on darker skintones. They feel quite smooth on the lips, with no detectable scent whatsoever and the weartime is around one to two hours, with Show Off lasting the longest from the three shades that I own.

I’m not entirely sure I’d describe these as being liquid lipsticks, as to me they’re more of a pigmented gloss. I do have to do quite a lot of swipes to build up the colour for an opaque finish, and I’d definitely say even then they don’t give the coverage of a lipstick like they claim. Due to their glossiness, they are a little sticky but not uncomfortably so, but they’re not perhaps the lip product of choice if you have long hair on a windy day as it could get a little messy. I would recommend using a clear lipliner with the Essence Liquid Lipsticks as they all have the tendency to bleed a little; especially Make a Statement but for £2.50 each, I think they’re really nice glosses but don’t buy them expecting a full on liquid lipstick like the Lime Crime Velvetines or the Anastasia Beverly Hills Liquid Lipsticks, as I think you’d perhaps be disappointed.

 

Nothing excites me more than a brand new Makeup Revolution release.. what can I say? I’m an addict. When I saw that they’d launched a collection of matte blushes, I was extremely excited to try them, especially as I don’t like shimmery blushes. The Makeup Revolution Matte Blusher Collection consists of six shades, with each shade costing just £3 which is insane as each of these blushes contain a very generous 8.9 grams of product.

 

 I really love the packaging of these blushes.. slim, circular plastic compacts with clear lids so you can easily see which shade is which. The packaging feels very sturdy, and has a nice and secure closure so I’d be more than happy to carry one of these in my makeup bag without worrying about it getting broken or opening and getting damaged.

 

I really like the range of shades they’ve chosen for the collection, as they’ve not gone for the typical pinks and peaches.. there is genuinely a shade for all skintones, and as you can see from the photos above, there’s some seriously bright shades which you rarely see within the drugstore and certainly not at £3 a pop. I really hope they extend the shade range even more, and perhaps consider ‘duping’ some of the crazy shades within the new Urban Decay Afterglow Blush Collection.. I’d love to see Makeup Revolution create a purple blush like Urban Decay’s Bittersweet.

 

 

All six shades of the Makeup Revolution Matte Blusher Collection are incredibly pigmented and you only need to tap your brush into each blush very gently as the pigment is so strong. The blushes all feel really silky and smooth, with an almost velvety consistency which only kicks up a little bit of excess powder when using a fluffy brush which really surprised me, as cheaper blushes tend to be quite powdery. I find all six shades easy to apply, but the three bolder shades (New Rules, Dare and Divine) do need a little more extra work, but that’s the same for all brands with bright blush shades in my experience. The weartime is very impressive at a minimum of four hours across all shades, but I can clearly see them on my cheeks upto six hours later, albeit a little faded but for £3 you really can’t complain.

 

Until trying these blushes, Sleek were my favourite drugstore brand for blushes but these have definitely taken over.. they are incredible blushes, and the shades are all so pretty. My favourite shade from the collection is Beloved as I love a good peachy coral, but I really like how Divine looks against my pale skin. I have to admit I’m a little intimidated by New Rules as it’s almost red, and reminds me of a slightly pinkier version of MAC’s Frankly Scarlet Blush. I cannot recommend these blushes enough.. £3 is beyond amazing for blushes of this quality, and you can buy all six shades for £18 which is the price of just one MAC Blush, and the pigment and quality really does give highend blushes a run for their money. Even though I’m a real matte blush girl, I’d love to see Makeup Revolution release a collection of shimmery shades too, especially after being so wowed by their Matte Blusher Collection.

 

I’ve tried a lot of different beauty boxes over the years, and so far my first Cohorted box has impressed me the most; and one I will be purchasing every month.

 

 I had so much trouble trying to order the box last month, as the site crashed over and over again, and by the time it was back online all the boxes has sold out. I was really disappointed by this, but tried again this month and was lucky enough to get July’s Cohorted box. This month the boxes didn’t sell out even nearly as quick as the previous months, it seemed that they had added more boxes available to buy. I hoped that this wouldn’t affect the quality of the items in the box, but I fear it might have slightly…

 

July’s Cohorted Beauty Box Contained;

 

This palette by Diego Dalla Palma is my favourite item within this months Cohorted box, and one that I’m really impressed with. It contains 6 eyeshadows, a lipstick and an eyeliner – a beautiful collection inspired by Snow White & The Huntsman. This isn’t something I would usually pick up myself, however I actually love it and know I’ll get use out of everything within this palette – and I think that’s the beauty of these kind of boxes. The lipstick, which is aptly named ‘Wicked Queen’ and is worth £15 alone, can be picked up separately from here. It’s a bright, blue toned red, which is great for making your teeth look whiter, and would look lovely on all skin tones. This has very quickly become my favourite red lipstick, due to its gorgeous shade, high pigmentation, comfortable formula and great wear time. The 6 full sized eyeshadows included in this palette are also right up my street, with 3 shimmery shades, and 3 mattes – perfect for both a day time or night time look. I love how they’ve named these shades – Snow, Shield, Mirror Mirror, Fairest, Destiny and Battleground, as they fit really lovely with the theme. A black eyeliner is also included, named ‘Dark Night’, which has a long wearing formula and is soft enough to apply comfortably, but also hard enough to get a good, defined line. This palette retails for £25, which is more than the cost of the Cohorted box, but if the contents were sold separately, it’s actually worth over £100, which is incredible value.

I’ve never actually faked tanned before (shock, I know), but it’s something I’ve been wanting to try out recently, so I was glad to see this St. Tropez lotion within this month’s Cohorted box. It’s a gradual 4 in one tan, which is said to help with tanning, toning, firming and moisturising your body. I’m trying to lose some weight at the moment, as well as toning myself up so this again, has come at the perfect time. St. Tropez are one of the biggest players in the Tan ‘game’, so I think it’s a great brand to be included within the Cohorted box. I’m impressed that it’s a full sized bottle (150ml) and is worth £20 – considering the box itself is the same price, so you’ve already made your money back with this product alone. I’m really looking forward to giving this a try, I’m hoping it will give me that summer glow that I’ve been yearning for. 

I’m a huge fan of anything matte, whether that’s lipsticks, eyeshadows or sports cars, so I was excited to see this nail polish from Nails Inc within the Cohorted box. This bright, hot red shade is from their London collection, and is named Gatwick – after the airport, which is the one I actually usually travel from. As all matte shades, this won’t last as long on your nails as a regular nail varnish, as the consistency is completely different. It dries really fast, so you need to be quick when applying so you don’t get streaks, but again this is another general trait of matte nail varnishes and isn’t specific to this Nails Inc polish. You’ll only need two coats of this as it’s really pigmented and is fairly thick. I really love this shade and the finish, so I’m looking forward to wearing this, and pairing it with the Wicked Queen lipstick from the palette also in the Cohorted box.

 

This Gucci body lotion is my least favourite item within the Cohorted box, and one that I’m actually really unimpressed with. Firstly, mine was really dirty, and seemed like it had been sat in a box in mucky, dusty box in a warehouse for years – I don’t think that matches up to the ‘luxe box’ that Cohorted offer. Secondly, this size lotion isn’t actually available to buy alone, which makes me think that they’ve just separated all of the perfumes and the accompanying body lotions from a gift set (like this) and sent those out. Since there was no sample of the fragrance, I think that defeats the object of the lotion, as it’s supposed to be used to layer up the scent. I’m not a huge fan of body lotions anyway, and I don’t like the scent of this at all, it’s too floral and over powering for me. Unfortunately Cohorted, I’m not impressed with this product and won’t be getting any use from it.

 

I’ve got mixed opinions on July’s Cohorted box, I really can’t make my mind up on it or not. The box itself retails for £20, and this month’s it is worth over £63. That is great and all, but I don’t think that it compares to a lot of the previous boxes, usually worth about £90. Don’t get me wrong, I really love the palette, and I know I’ll use the nail varnish and the St. Tropez tan, however I just don’t think that this box matches up in terms of quality and products to the previous months. Cohorted have had a lot of complaints about how quickly the boxes sell out, and how they’re aren’t enough available to everyone. I fear that they may have compromised the products inside this month’s box, so there was more available to sell. Good business for them of course, but not as good for me as the consumer. I’m going to try and get my hands on the August box and see how that compares, I honestly hope that this month has just been a blip, but we’ll have to see…

  

 

What do you think of July’s Cohorted box? Would you have been impressed with the contents? What’s your favourite beauty box?

 

As you all know, Real Techniques released a brand new set of brushes in the guise of their 'Bold Metals' Collection. 7 brushes that are described as premium brushes aimed at professional makeup artists and makeup fanatics. The brushes come in three colours, GOLD, SILVER & ROSE GOLD.

Soap and Glory is one of my favourite drugstore makeup brands, and I loved every single product I’ve ever tried from them so far. The Soap and Glory Solar Powder Bronzer is a product I’ve loved after for quite some time, but was put off purchasing it incase it was too dark for my skin but I decided to bite the bullet and buy it as part of their 3 for 2 offer. The Solar Powder Bronzer is £11 and is described as being a multi-shade shimmering bronzer and highlighting brick and is available in just one shade. The packaging has just recently been changed in the last month to a plastic compact which is great news, but I have the original packaging which is made from cardboard which isn’t ideal as it gets very shabby, very quickly so the new plastic compact would be a lot better.

 

The Soap and Glory Solar Powder Bronzer is divided into two sections, with one half of the powder being a dark shade of bronzer and the second half of the powder is a lighter shade. In the middle of the powder, there is a raise S&G which has a metallic pink overspray which makes the powder look stunning.. there’s no doubt about that, but I hate oversprays as they wear off so quickly so in my opinion, they’re completely pointless. The darker shade within the powder is completely matte, and is a warm orange toned bronze shade, whilst the paler shade is a light tan with golden shimmer. I was surprised by the shimmer in the lighter shade, as I’ve read so many reviews saying that it was a matte bronzer, but it definitely isn’t matte as you can see from the swatches so I’d perhaps skip this bronzer if you don’t like shimmery bronzers.

 

Both shades of the powder are very smooth and buttery soft, with the lighter shade being the softest.. they’re both so pigmented, and you only need to tap your brush into the powder lightly to pick up enough product for your whole face. Even though the darker shade is quite warm toned, I think it works well as an all over bronzer to warm up the complexion but I like to use a fluffy brush like the Real Techniques Blush Brush for a subtle bronzing. I personally don’t like shimmery bronzers as I don’t find them very flattering, so I use the shimmery pale shade as a blush rather than a bronzer, and it looks really pretty and reminds me of Benefit’s Rockateur. I think this is a lovely bronzer, and it’s such great quality for a drugstore product but I’d really like Soap and Glory to create a matte version, as it would then tick all of the boxes to be the perfect bronzer

So Velvet Teddy is pink toned nude matte lipstick with a slight brown hint to it. This lipstick holds the definition of 'your lips but better'. It lasts pretty well on the lips thanks to the matte finish, and is really the perfect nude lipstick. It's great for winter, as it doesn't have any peachy tones in it. It may be a little dark on paler skin tones, I prefer it on me when I'm more tanned rather than my pale days. I usually line my lips first with a  nude lipliner such as Rimmel's East End Snob and then fill in Velvet Teddy. To get the Jenner look, obviously paired with killer contouring and lots of lashes.

Overall I do like Velvet Teddy. The shade is a nice subtle nude and the matte finish helps achieve the ‘Kylie Jenner’ look. The colour can be worn for a minimal look during the day or paired with dramatic eye makeup for the night. So… is it worth the hype? I find this difficult to answer because it is a lovely shade that is a great addition to any nude-lover’s collection, but I guess it just didn’t WOW me as much as I expected.