Ever since MAC launched their two pre-filled x15 eyeshadow palettes, I’ve been contemplating purchasing one but at £65 I couldn’t really justify one since I own a ridiculous amount of eyeshadow palettes but that still didn’t stop me lusting after them. The two x 15 pre-filled palettes are the MAC Warm Neutral Eyeshadow Palette and MAC Cool Neutral Eyeshadow Palette and each palettes contains fifteen full size MAC eyeshadows within one of their clear plastic palettes, however you can’t take the shadows out of these palettes like you can do with their standard palettes. If you were to make your own fifteen pan MAC palette, it’d set you back £10 for the empty Pro Palette, £2.50 for the Palette Insert and then £150 for the fifteen eyeshadows totalling £162.50 so £65 was a pretty great price.

However recently, MAC lowered the prices of their x 15 pre-filled palettes to £49.50 instead of £65 which makes it an even better deal, and I decided it was time to finally purchase one and I opted for the MAC Warm Neutral Eyeshadow Palette as the shades within the Cool palette looked a little pale and insipid for my liking. I purchased my palette through Octer which is an online marketplace which allows you to view products from different retailers all in one place, as well as seeing which retailers have sales or promotions on to save you some money where possible. Octer also allows you to search for items such as “eyeshadow palette” and see products you perhaps wouldn’t have seen by browsing a single retailer, but you can browse for items via specific retailers, or by price bracket too making it easier to find what you’re looking for.

The MAC Warm Neutral Eyeshadow Palette comes packaged within a very plain and simple black cardboard box, and the palette itself has a clear lid which is handy to see the shades inside. On the back of the palette there is a sticker which lists all of the names of the shadows inside the palette as well as what finish they are too. I like the packaging but I do feel it’s a little bulky for my liking, and the lid is magnetic and I have a habit of catching my finger in the hinges on the back due to the way it’s made. I love the convenience of having 15 shadows all in one palette but I wouldn’t travel with it as it’s too bulky and heavy but it’s a nice addition to my palette collection.

When it comes to mascara, I always feel that I’m left underwhelmed by the most hyped mascaras which is exactly what happened with the massively popular MAC Extended Play Gigablack Lash Mascara; I’d read endless rave reviews on it and when I tried it for myself, I really wasn’t as impressed as I thought I would be. Whilst perusing the Feelunique website, I spotted the NYX The Skinny Mascara and it really caught my eye as it’s so unlike any other mascara I’ve tried so I added it into my basket and figured it was worth a try, especially as it’s only £6.50 which is pretty great value. NYX describe their The Skinny Mascara as being perfect for coating heard to reach lashes from root to tip, with a water resistant formula which particularly appealed to me as my lower lashes always seem to smudge so I’m consciously checking throughout the day to make sure the mascara on my lower lashes hasn’t smudged or crumbled all over my face.

From what I can gather, the NYX The Skinny Mascara is only available in black but that’s ideal for me as I much prefer black mascara over brown as my lashes are practically black anyway. The brush on the mascara is so strange in that it’s long and very narrow without any tapering like typical mascara brushes so I thought it would be amazing for the lower lashline and I’d hoped it’d be less messy too as I always end up coating my under eyes in mascara when applying to my lower lashes as they’re such short lashes.

I’ve seen reviews where people rave about using the NYX The Skinny Mascara on their upper lashes, but I think it would possibly work best for those who are already gifted in the lash department as my pathetic stumpy upper lashes don’t work well with a wand like this as it just ends up coating them in product without a curl, or any volume. On my lower lashes however, it performs considerably better and has replaced all of my other lower lash mascara options as it does a great job of catching every single tiny lash without making a mess which is a massive bonus. The formula is definitely smudge proof, and it doesn’t crumble or flake during the day but I wouldn’t describe it as being water resistant as it smudged when I got caught in the rain but the fact it doesn’t smudge or crumble throughout the day makes it a definite winner. I can’t believe this mascara is only £6.50; it’s such great value, especially if I’m only using it on my lower lashes every day.. I imagine this 6ml tube will last me ages, as I’m already six weeks in and the formula is identical to how it was when it was new so I’d really recommend giving it a try if you’re in the market for a fantastic bottom lash mascara regardless of budget.

Buy your's today at Boots.com or in-store

NYX HD Studio Finishing Powder is my current favorite product to finish off my makeup look!  It is so soft and silky and gives a very natural finish to the skin.

 The product comes weighing a mere .21 oz (6g) but do not let the weight fool you! It is so lightweight, there actually is a lot of product that will last a very long time.

Buy your NYX HD Studio Photogenic Finishing Powder today at Boots.com or in-store!

One thing I always say I love about Essie polish in general is how fast they dry and this new Gel Couture collection is no different, maybe even quicker than normal polish. With 42 new shades and with a promise of 14 days wear with a no LED lamp application - could it be too good to be true?I was sent 3 shades & a top coat: Signature Smile is a sharp fiery rosé, Hang Up the Heels – jet black accessorized with jade shimmer & Bubbles Only – classic burgundy crème. 

The designs of the gel bottles set them apart, with a twizzled body shape and the same goes for the applicator, which is wider, flatter and allows you to push the brush down and stroke up with ease - meaning you apply less coats as it covers the nail bed. Because the applicator has a swirled body, the polish can gently run down, instead of running down a straight body and you getting a blob of polish that you didn't want - you know what I'm talking about.

So far I've tried Signature smile, that took 2 coats and came off using regular nail polish. I did only wear it for a couple of days as I really wanted to try the 'anti Summer' shade, Hang Up The Heels, the jet black with jade shimmer running through it. I only needed 2 coats and by the time I had finished both hands, the gel top coat was ready to go on and nothing smeared, smooth application. It's important to cap the free edge of nails to prevent any nails from chipping or peeling. It'll be interesting to see if through, showering, cleaning and whatever else if these hold up for 14 days. 

Who here has has ever put themselves on a liquid diet in order to lose weight?. Well I have good news! I have actually found a liquid that will aid your weight loss whilst eating healthily. It’s not a fad, it won’t take over your life and it’s temporary but could introduce you to a healthier eating regime. It’s called the Bootea 14 Day Teatox.

I’m a massive lover of a good cuppa. English Breakfast, Green Tea, Raspberry and Echinacea… The whole of the Twinings range. So I was amazed to discover Bootea 14 Day Teatox which meant I could keep up my tea addiction and lose weight. The Teatox comes in two different packets – the Daytime Cleanse and the Bedtime Cleanse. 

Upon waking every day you flick your kettle on and instead of your normal Earl Grey you whip up a Bootea Daytime Cleanse instead. Inside the pyramid teabag is a recipe of Chinese Oolong tea, Maté leaves, Ginger root, Fennel seeds, Lemongrass, Dandelion leaf, Ginseng root, Gotu Kola leaves and Nettle leaves. If you’re familiar with herbal tea then you will thoroughly enjoy this earthly blend, however if you are more of a builder’s tea type then you may find the taste a little strange. However it is very healthy and refreshing, so stick with it! After a couple of days your taste buds will have acquired the taste and you will be gulping it down! (Slowly mind… The stuff is hot).

The Bootea 14 Day Teatox is designed to increase your metabolism, burn calories and fat, assist in the digestion of food, suppress your appetite and improve your skin. Whilst the Daytime Cleanse is designed to be consumed every day, the Bedtime Cleanse is designed to be taken every other night. The reason for this is the Bedtime Cleanse works as a laxative… And your body wouldn’t be able to cope with this every day. Because believe me when I say it works, it reaaaallllly works. The Bedtime Cleanse teabag houses a family of ingredients of Senna leaves, Peppermint leaves, Fenugreek seeds, Liquorice root, Burdock root, Hawthorn leaves, Valerian root and Psyllium seeds. Now I will leave the rest to your imagination… I’m sure you won’t want me to go into all the details, but yeah. It works.

The great thing about Bootea is that they don’t sugarcoat their Teatox plans and claim that by drinking their tea you will lose a million pounds and end up with a tight and toned body to rival Megan Fox. They tell you that in order for the Teatox to work, you have to work. That means eating healthily and working out. So get off your rounded butt and go for a walk/skip down the road/cartwheel to your gran’s house. The more you can do to aid the plan, the better the results. So the burning question I’m guessing will all be on your lips is “did it work?”

Well yes. It did. But I worked too!

As well as drinking the tea twice a day, I was working out 5 times a week and eating healthily. I didn’t drastically change my diet at all, just cut out the junk. So you can leave the 90 calorie packaged soups that taste like cardboard on the shelves for the other fad dieters, those days are over for you! As I result I lost a total of 7 lbs over the two week course! Bootea also offer a 28 day Teatox plan if you fancy trying it for a little longer. You could potentially lose double what I did! View all of their plans here. So can you see yourself giving Bootea a whirl? It could be the kickstart you need to a healthier life in general. What have you got to lose? Apart from the obvious…

*post contains a press sample

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?