Santa Baby, Just Slip A Lippy Under The Tree For Me...

Less than 2 weeks until the big day! My tree's sparkling, the presents are wrapped & I've already had more than my fair share of cheese and crackers... Oh and it's FREEZING! But I can overlook that, as it's officially my favourite time of year :) Although I think I say that about every season.

I submitted the final draft of my Christmas list to Santa a couple of weeks ago and these beauties made it to my top 4...

Estee Lauder Advanced Night Repair Eye Cream

Babyliss Pro Porcelain Conical Wand in Black 19-32mm

Baby Pink Converse

YSL Rouge Volupte in Opera Rose

And I have it on very good authority that I have all of the above! So excited :)

I've wanted Estee Lauder Night Repair for ages, but at £37 it just isn't something I could ever justify buying for myself, so this will definately be well loved. The same goes for the YSL lippy, every time I'm in Debenhams, I swatch loads of the lipsticks but never actually part with the cash... I can't wait to display this on my nightstand, the packaging is just beautiful. As for the Converse, well I just love them. I have dark pink ones but they're looking a bit worse for wear. And finally, the conical wand, for those who don't know it's basically a curling tool for your hair and it looks so simple to use, I've seen lots of hair tutorials on youtube with this. I opted for the largest size in black, because eventhough my hair's only shoulder length, I want to use it to get quite big waves, as apposed to tight curls.

What's at the top of your Christmas list this year?

And just a reminder that you've still got time to take advantage of Sigma's 10% off coupon code! I've just ordered some eye brushes and as I'm sure you know, they're excellent quality and really affordable. So click HERE and get your order in before 31st December :)

Beating Breakouts

I hate spots. But then, who likes them? I have pretty good skin about 85% of the time but sometimes I get random breakouts that really put me in a bad mood. This is usually around a certain time of the month or after a night out when I've neglected my skin by not cleansing properly. I also get the odd breakout when I'm stressed or run down and usually they occur at the top of my forehead, on my chin and sometimes around my nose. I've tried a hell of a lot of products over the years to try to prevent said breakouts as well as get rid of them when they occur and after various trials and errors I've got my top 3 'spot fighting' products that have found their way into my skin care routine. So let's jump right into the first one!

Clearasil Ultra Rapid Action Pads

The main ingredient I look for in a product for fighting breakouts is Salicylic Acid. I'm no scientist or skin care expert or whatever, but from internet research, other beauty bloggers and beauty professionals I find that this ingredient is mentioned ALOT. When the lovely Chloe Morello mentioned these Clearasil pads in one of her YouTube videos (she too suffers with pimple prone skin) I knew I had to try them! She swears by the Clearasil Ultra Rapid Action range which is specifically for fighting spots FAST and these pads are honestly awesome! You get about 65 pads for £5.35 from Superdrug, link here, and although that seems pricey, trust me they're worth it. The thin pads are soaked (and I mean thoroughly soaked) in a spot fighting solution including salicylic acid and you basically wipe them over your freshly cleansed face daily. Because the pads are so wet it feels like you're drenching your face in the really strong liquid which at first feels a bit too much but it dries quickly and you just leave it for a couple of minutes then apply your moisturiser etc. I can't tell you how clean and shiny my face is after using these! Even after a good scrub/cleanse there's still some makeup and dirt that comes off on the pad so they're super deep cleaning. As stated in the description, these really do get rid of your nasty spots within 3 days. Amazing. I dont use them every day as I find them quite strong and my skin isn't terrible, but whenever I break out or my face feels greasy I reach for them. I'm really wanting to try more from the Ultra range.

Lush Tea Tree Toner Spray

This has been doing the rounds in the blogosphere lately and rightly so. It's a tea tree toner (you never would've guessed!) and tea tree is a great natural ingredient to use when preventing and fighting spots. It's a really fresh, light spray and I love the tea tree scent. I know some people hate tea tree so if you're one of those people then this will probably not be a great buy for you, but I apply this morning and night on a cotton pad before my moisturiser and it really soaks up any excess oil and freshens my face. The smaller bottle which is the one I have is super cheap at £3.95 for 100g, link here.

Garner Pure Deep Clean Foam Wash

I've been using this on and off for about 6 months and it's one of those products that I always end up coming back to. If it's getting near to my time of the month I'll start using this in the shower to try and get a good deep clean going before the spot's strike. It's a foaming wash and it gives my face a really deep clean. It's quite a strong face wash if you get my meaning, which I personally love because I can really feel it working when it makes my skin tingle. If I've had a night out where I've worn a lot of makeup, I'll use this the next morning to ensure I give my skin the deep clean it needs. You can buy this from Superdrug for £2.95 for 200ml.

So they're my favourite products for dealing with breakouts, I'd love any other recommendations if you have them and let me know if you use any of these :)

Maybelline Baby Lips

You may have seen these little beauties popping up in the blogosphere or on YouTube over the past couple of months, I first caught sight of them when LaFemme5278 mentioned them in a video and I knew I needed to try them : )

Maybelline Baby Lips. L-R Peach Kiss, Grape Vine

I am of course talking about Maybelline Baby Lips. Their new range of lip balms in an array of delicious flavours. The only problem with these? They're only available in the US. So like any true beauty blogger, it became my mission to get hold of these little American gems...I managed to find an eBay seller that met my satisfaction (always make sure they have excellent feedback and they aren't charging silly prices for international postage) so I placed my order and waited.

Well I didn't have to wait very long! Five days later my Baby Lips arrived! *excited squeal* I tore them open and proceeded to take photos.

After umming and ahhing over which ones to choose, in the end I went for Grape Vine (as recommended by LaFemme5278) and Peach Kiss simply because I love anything to do with peaches :)
I certainly wasn't disappointed, they smell just like the fruit they're named after. They're soft and buttery, just as a good lip balm should be and they have a good tint to them as you can see in the swatches. It's not too much so it looks like a lipstick but it's just enough to feel satisfied that your lips don't look bare.

L-R Grape Vine, Peach Kiss

The packaging is really cute, they all come in different gorgeous bright colours and I'd love to try more flavours. I think I'll wait until they hit British shores so I'm not stuck with paying postage for them but I'm chuffed I have two more lovely little lip balms to add to my collection.

Let me know if you've tried Baby Lips and as always what your thoughts are...

On a totally different note, my tree went up yesterday! Yes I'm one of those crazy Christmas loving freaks that gets their tree up long before its socially acceptable to do so... But hey I have a toddler who is just getting into all things Christmassy so I have the perfect excuse : )

DIY Nail Polish Storage

Hi all! I know it's been an age since I last blogged.... I'm finding it quite difficult to have the time to write posts, which is really frustrating as I enjoy blogging so much! Having a toddler and running a home, cooking, cleaning, washing and all that fun stuff (the toddler part is definately fun, but the housework? Not so much) it all seems to be taking every bit of free time I have, but I will definately set aside some allocated time for blogging from now on.

Sorry about the dark photos, taken on a very dull day & just couldn't get the right light!

I've got quite an exciting post for you today! I've needed a storage solution for my nail polishes for quite some time now, I used to keep them in a big martini glass shaped vase, which definately looked lovely but proved to be a serious pain when I had to scramble through all of the polishes trying to find the shade I wanted. It also meant I'd completely forget about the ones at the bottom of the vase so it just wasn't practical. I saw a photo of a DIY shelving unit on Pinterest a couple of weeks ago which a girl had made for her nail polishes (she had about a million, so it was definately useful for her!) this said, I nipped down to B&Q in search of materials. Needless to say, I felt like a total bimbo with no clue where to start! Luckily I had le boyfriend with me who seemed to be right at home in there... twenty minutes later we were armed with supplies and ready to start DIY'ing! In total I spent no more than £10 on materials.

What I used

Some thin strips of wood (usually used for door frames)
Wood adhesive
White backboard
Can of white spray paint
Screw to hang it up

Sorry if that list makes me sound like even more of a bimbo, but to me wood is wood! No idea what kind of wood it is but anything that can be used as a thin shelf (deep enough to display nail polishes) will do the job. The wood actually came in metre long strips as it's usually used for doorframes, so it had to be cut down to size using a saw.

Wood cut down to make 6 shelves and the 2 side panels : )

The wood was then sprayed white to match the backboard (which also needed to be cut to size) and each shelf was glued onto the board using wood glue. The 2 side panels were also glued on.

And voila! One cute little nail polish unit to hang on the wall. It's pretty plain and simple but to be honest that's all I wanted. I needed something that could be made quickly to get my polishes displayed and this has made me feel very organised : ) It also gave me the chance to sort through all of my polishes and throw the gloopy ones away. 

I may paint the shelves a different colour at some point but for now I'm really pleased with the finished product.

Let me know if you've made any of your own beauty product storage! I'm always on the lookout for new ideas.

Philosophy Microdelivery Exfoliating Wash

I've mentioned my love for Philosophy a fair few times. Its a pricey brand, but I love it and whenever I've got a bit of spare cash, their website is one of the first places I turn! Definately pop over to the website and have a nose.

Today I'm reviewing my most recent Philosophy purchase, the Microdelivery Exfoliating Wash.

What is it?
A gentle exfoliating cleanser, suitable for all skin types that can be used daily to cleanse and replenish. It costs £22 for 240ml and can be purchased from the Philosophy website. 

Initial thoughts 
A bit pricey! But I'd read some really good reviews and I trust Philosophy as a skincare brand so I didn't mind too much about parting with the cash.
It's packaged in their signature black and white bottle which I love. It's simple but it looks great in the bathroom (something a packaging snob like myself can appreciate!) it has a gel consistency, with lots of tiny exfoliating beads. I say beads but they're more like tiny grains.

My overall thoughts
I've been using it every morning for 3 weeks and I'm really pleased with it. My skin's brighter, softer and just generally feels cleaner! I like to really feel an exfoliating scrub working, if it's slightly uncomfortable then as far as I'm concerned it's doing it's job. This scrub is great to use in the morning, getting rid of the previous night's moisturiser and any dirt or sweat (sorry!) that's accumulated. As soon as I wash it off and pat my face dry, my skin looks and feels fresh and it's a great first step before applying my day moisturiser and then my make up. I have combination skin, some days it's more oily than others and I get dry patches on my cheeks (talk about complicated! So hard to find the perfect products for my skin), so I really work it into those dry areas to help create a smooth surface for my makeup.

Overall I'd give this product 9/10. It gives my skin a good, thorough clean, softening the dry areas and getting rid of sebum in the oily areas, so I definately agree that it'd be suitable for all skin types. It's perfect for use as a daily exfoliator but it loses a mark for the price. You only need a small amount for each use, so it definately lasts quite a long time but £22 is still quite a lot to pay for a face scrub in one hit. I'll definately be repurchasing this at some point, but I want to try a couple of other cheaper products to see if they match up to this one.
Have you tried any Philosophy products? And what face scrubs would you recommend?

5 Products I Always Repurchase

I may have mentioned before that I'm a total impulse buyer... I love trying out new skin care, makeup, nail polishes - especially nail polishes! And unless I find a product that I really and truly fall head over heels in love with, I don't repurchase things very often. Normally this is due to my crazy huge wishlist, for example foundations - I have about six on my wishlist at a time that I want to try out and that's not including any impulse buys I pick up along the way, so it's rare that I'd go out and buy the same one twice.

This said, there are really only five products that I repurchase again and again. Products I use pretty much on a day to day basis that I love and therefore don't see the need to change. They're actually pretty cheap and cheerful products too and can be found at the local Boots or Superdrug, so dead easy to get hold of.



Batiste Dry Shampoo - A staple in most people's hair routine (okay, I'm assuming, but I think this is generally the go-to dry shampoo for the majority...) It's pretty cheap, you get a lot of product for your money, it's simple to use, it does the job well and Batiste have a great variety of scents etc so there's really something for everyone. I wash my hair every 2 to 3 days, washing it every day would strip it of it's natural oils and to be honest who has the time to wash it every morning? So dry shampoo is a life saver for those 'in between' days. I've repurchased this so many times I've lost track. £1.99 - £2.99 

Sally Hansen Airbrush Legs - Over the years I've tried pretty much every self-tan product the world has to offer, some are good, some are crap, some are too orange, most are overpriced... I've actually gotten to the age now where I'm not so fussed about having a regimented tanning routine, again I simply don't have the time and I actually enjoy being pale (crazy I know!) but for the odd occassion when I may decide to go out and socialise, my legs, arms and chest need a bit of a glow. So on a friend's recommendation I started using Airbrush Legs and literally haven't looked back. It sprays on and is easily rubbed in, it has barely any scent, the medium shade gives just the right amount of bronze to fair skin and the best thing? It washes straight off your hands with just a bit of soap! Oh the nights I've wasted scrubbing my hands until they're red raw, when I could've just been using this. It's not overly cheap but for someone like me that only uses it once a month or so, it's pretty reasonable. £10.29

Boots Coconut & Almond Body Lotion - Firstly I love the smell, coconut and almond are possible the most perfect pairing ever! The main reason I always repurchase this is due to the dry skin patches I sometimes get on my legs. If I use perfumed body lotion or anything with harsh chemicals in it, my skin can flare up which results in red, itchy patches - not pleasant. I've even tried E45 body cream which is probably the most sensitive lotion you can buy and even that doesn't help, the coconut and almond lotion is the only thing that works. So if you suffer from skin irritations or annoying dry patches then I'd definately recommend giving this a go. It lasts ages and it's cheap as chips. £2.03

Aussie 3 Minute Miracle - A really popular conditioning treatment that everyone raves about. I've been using this for well over a year (I do try other treatments, but this is always in my shower as a backup) you basically use it as the label suggests, slap it on, leave it for 3 minutes and wash it off. It never fails to leave my hair soft and smelling delish. Yes, there's better conditioning treatments out there, but this is easy to get hold of and the perfect product to buy when you don't have lots of pennies to spend on fancier brands. I often have a bottle of Aussie shampoo lying around too. All in all a great brand. £4.99

Johnson's Baby Conditioner - I may or may not have stolen this from my son months ago and then continued to repurchase it : ) To be honest, it lasts so long for what I use it for that I don't often need to repurchase. I basically use this as a shaving cream for my legs. As I explained before, my legs are very sensitive and I have to be extra careful with the products I use on them, I've never really felt the need to buy expensive shaving creams and this does the job perfectly. Baby products are always great for sensitive skin because they aren't loaded with nasty chemicals so you know you aren't going to have any unwanted reactions. Rub some of this onto your legs, shave and voila! Smooth, soft legs with no red bumps or other irritations. £2 - £3

So there's my 5 products that I always repurchase. I guess you could say my top 5 products of all time : )

Do you use any of these?

 

NOTD: Gold Studs

I recently picked up one of Barry M's Gelly polishes after seeing them on the shelves for quite a while. I went for a colour that was completely different to anything I already owned, it's called Watermelon although I've no idea why as it's a dark (almost Bristish Racing) green with a slight hint of teal. I have to say it's a gorgeous colour and I'd definately recommend giving the Gelly polishes a go, they really do have a super glossy finish to them without a top coat!

If you saw my recent haul, you'll know I picked up some Andrea Fullerton gold studs. I added them to this look, just above the cuticle and I really like it! Studs are everywhere right now, whether it's on jackets, boots or handbags so why not add a few to your nails : )

My Favourite Beauty Blogs

I've seen a few posts lately with bloggers sharing links to their favourite blogs and I thought it was a fun idea!

These are my top 3 beauty blogs, the ones I get excited about when I see a new post pop up on my dashboard and I genuinely enjoy all of their posts.

Sandra at The Black Pearl Blog
Evelyn at We Were Raised By Wolves
Alexis at Glitter Tips (if you love nail art you have to Check out Alexis's blog, her nail looks are amazing!)

And 2 blogs that I absolutely love, simply because I'm so jealous of their glamorous lives...

Jennifer Stano and Lilly Ghalichi

2 girls living in Beverly Hills, sharing their amazing Louboutin collections, driving Bentleys and generally looking gorgeous. Lilly's makeup is literally flawless at all times! Well worth a read : )

Who are your favourite bloggers?

Hot Fudge Oreo Brownies = Heaven!

I'm a Pinterest addict at the moment, I could trawl through the recipes on there for hours! There's thousands of yummy things to make on there with easy, step by step instructions and last weekend I made a particularly calorific treat.

I love baking, and seeing as I'm a mum it kind of comes with the territory : ) I love rustling up some cookies, marble cake or some yummy cupcakes! But there's nothing better than a hot gooey brownie with some ice cream... I changed the recipe slightly, to make them extra sticky and yummy.

Hot Fudge Oreo Brownies

1 box of premade fudge brownie mix
Eggs and oil (as needed for your brownie mix, but leave out the water!)
Cookies and Cream ice cream
Hot fudge topping (this recipe was American so it called for Hershey's hot fudge topping, obviously they don't sell that in Tesco, so I grabbed some Tesco Finest Chocolate dessert sauce)
Oreos

Combine your brownie mix as instructed on the box (remember to leave out the water).

Add 3 large scoops of ice cream, about 6-7 tbsps of chocolate dessert sauce and mix it all together until you get a smooth, gooey mixture. Feel free to add a bit more chocolate sauce if you feel it needs it.

Pour half the mixture into a greased baking dish.

Layer whole Oreos on top, then pour on the remaining mixture.

Bake in a pre-heated oven at 180 C for about 30 mins.

Should be firm on top and gooey in the middle.

Serve with a generous scoop of ice cream : )

If you bake one thing this week, then make sure it's these! They are honestly amazing! They didn't last long in my house...

A Little Saturday Beauty Haul

I've been on a slight spending ban this past month. No beauty products have been bought whatsoever! Well almost none... I did have the odd moment of weakness, but for the most part I did pretty well so I decided today was the day to treat myself!

The man in my life and I had a leisurely mooch around the high street whilst Milan was at his nans, it was so nice to just shop and have lunch without rushing or dealing with constant toddler drama (I love my son to bits but it's bloody hard to get through a shopping trip without stress when he's there!) So we made the most of it, had some yummy tapas at a great little Spanish bar we found, then hit the shops. I had a few bits on my (ridiculously big) wishlist that I wanted to pick up and I ended up making a couple of impulse purchases too. I'm a beauty junkie! Impulse purchases go with the territory ; )

I headed to Lush and picked up Cosmetic Warrior which is a face mask for fighting spots and Tea Tree Water, a toner spray that I've been wanting for quite a while after seeing lots of reviews in the blogosphere. Lately I've been having a few break outs and I've got no idea why. Sure, I get the odd blemish now and again, but during the past few weeks its just been one breakout after another. So I thought I'd give Cosmetic Warrior a go, I'll use it a couple of times a week and see if it helps. The Tea Tree Water is just a lovely, natural toner water that I've been wanting to try after cleansing at night as I'm hoping the tea tree will help to clear my skin.

Superdrug was my next stop where I picked up the infamous Vitamin E Hot Cloth Cleanser. It's a huge tube for £4.99 and it's another product I've been meaning to try for ages. I was then drawn to the Andrea Fullerton stand, I've seen and heard alot of great things about her range and although a little pricey I decided to buy the black dot and flick tool and a little pack of gold studs, which I love! I can't wait to create a nail look with these, studs are everywhere at the moment and I think these are a really fun way to 'trend up' your nails : )

I had to stop off at Matalan to pick up some Mickey Mouse bits for Milan, he's going through a Mickey Mouse Clubhouse phase at the moment so I bought him a cute Mickey dressing gown, some pyjamas and some matching slippers. I know alot of people turn their noses up at Matalan, but you can find some really great pieces in there. I often see dupes of River Island and Topshop items for half the price so I like to have a nose in there now and again. I saw this set of rings for £4 and couldn't resist.

So they were my buys on this chilly Autumn Saturday! We couldn't resist going to Thorntons for a white hot chocolate with all the trimmings... much needed now this cold weather has landed.

Hope you're all having a fab weekend and buying lots of gorgeous beauty products : )

Giveaway Winner

Thank you to those who entered my giveaway : )

As I stated in the rules, those without genuine blogs who have GFC accounts just set up to enter giveaways need not enter, this was slightly ignored! So I had to re-draw the winner a couple of times to pick a genuine follower.

So the winner is...

Courtney from Daisy Meadow blog : )

Well done chica, you've won the Burts Bees lip balm & the St Tropez gradual tan. I'll email you to get your address and get it in the post ASAP.

Weekly Wishlist #3

This week's wishlist is a tad late, sorry about that! But better late than never as they say... 

I'm on a bit of a spending ban at the minute... well more of a 'cut down' on beauty products. I'm a complete impulse buyer which is something I need to start getting under control! Therefore I've put myself on a slight ban until the end of November and I'm doing pretty well. I've bought a couple of bits but I'm being pretty good with telling myself no.

Anyway back to the wishlist! This week I'm slightly obsessed with scented candles. I mean I always love them, but this week in particular I've been scrolling through ebay and the Yankee Candle website oohing and ahhing at all the yummy candles on there! I've actually ordered a couple of Yankee tarts (white chocolate mint, gingerbread and icicles) notice I'm gearing up for the winter months (and before you smack my wrist, this doesn't count as beauty products... so I'm allowed a few candles! haha) I also can't stop sniffing the Jelly Belly candles in Tesco... everytime I'm in there, I drag my son to the candle section and have a good sniff of the Toasted Marshmallow one. So once I allow myself a splurge I'll be snapping that up!

Topshop nail polish in Pluto £6

Estee Lauder Advanced Night Repair eye cream £37

Jelly Belly Toasted Marsmellow candle £7.97 from Tesco

Simmi Shoes ankle boots £30

Lush tea tree toner water £3.95

So there's the items I'm lusting after this week. Hopefully I can get my hands on some of them very soon! I'll leave you with some autumn/fall photos from Pinterest that I've loved enough to save to my laptop... Autumn is my favourite season and these photos made me smile.

NOTD: Glitter Crazy!

I love a nice bit of sparkle! What girl doesn't? Whilst perusing the Barry M section in my local Superdrug, I came across this gorgeous multicolour glitter polish... Needless to say I had to snap it up! With flecks of purple, pink, gold, blue, black and silver, I definitely don't have another shade like it.

Perfect for the upcoming party season or just for a general fun look!

Barry M 'Amethyst Glitter'

Autumn Lipstick Featuring Barry M

I LOVE AUTUMN! It's my second favourite season, with winter taking the top spot : ) Call me crazy, but I love the first few days in October when you start feeling a chill in the air and you know winter's approaching! Halloween, bonfire night, late night Christmas shopping and plenty of cosy nights in front of the box... What's not to love about this time of year?

As soon as October hits, I start craving cosy jumpers, leather boots and dark lipstick. Nothing says Autumn like a berry lip colour! I've recently rediscovered a lipstick I bought a while ago from Boots. It's a Barry M lippy and anyone with experience of their range knows they do 2 things exceptionally well, nail polish and lipstick.  

Barry M lipstick in 152

I am seriously loving this shade. It's a matte plum colour and it literally screams Autumn. It's super smooth, moisturising and has great staying power. The colour payoff, as always with Barry M, is excellent.

I've been wearing this with my new chunky black platform boots, purple or black skinnys and my gorgeous purple fur shoulder bag from River Island.

What are your favourite lip colours for Autumn?

Weekly Wishlist #2

Hi lovelies! Another week, another wishlist : )

I'm obsessed with 2 things this week... Philosophy being the first. Their products are so gorgeous and they have such delicious names! Like Candy Corn lipgloss and Glazed Maple Cake shower gel, it makes me feel all autumny! (Is that a word?!) I literally want everything on their website... so expect to see lots of Philosophy goodies on future wishlists.

My second love this week is lip balm. As soon as October hits I go lip balm crazy! My lips get so dry in cold weather and can end up feeling quite cracked and sore so it's essential for me to use some kind of balm. Mind you I do go a bit mad, applying it every half an hour! I'm always trying new brands and flavours : ) At the moment I'm loving Burt's Bees Pomegranate lip balm and I'm currently running a giveaway so you could win one if you enter here.

Onto this weeks must haves...

OLAY Pro X Cleansing System £25

Kerastase Elixir Ultime £29.35

EOS lip balm in Strawberry Sorbet £5.95

MAC Marilyn Monroe lipstick in Pure Zen £15.50

River Island messenger bag £25

Philosophy Pumpkin Pie shower gel/shampoo/bubble bath £14

Whats on your wishlist this week?

A Little Giveaway!

I know some of you gorgeous lot won't think it's a huge deal to have 50 followers, but tbh I'm chuffed I even have one : ) I wanted to do a little mini giveaway to say thank you for taking the time to read my posts and click the follow button... It really makes me smile!

I recently bought Burts Bees lip balm in Pomegranate and it's delish! I'm obsessed with lip balms now the chilly weather is setting in... I hate dry, cracked lips (who doesn't ?) and this lovely balm keeps your lips moisturised and it smells so yummy! I ordered 2 online so I thought I'd give one away for someone to try.

I'm also throwing in a small tube of St Tropez Gradual Tan (75ml)... One of my favourites! And so essential for the winter months.

Use Rafflecopter below to enter.

The Rules -

You must be a follower of my blog via GFC.
You must have a blog and be genuine! If your GFC account is just set up for entering giveaways your entry will be invalid.

Leave a comment with your email address or twitter name so I can contact you if you win.

You can earn extra entries.. just see the Rafflecopter below!

This is a UK giveaway only.


Winner chosen on Sunday 21st October.
Good luck! : )
a Rafflecopter giveaway

BDellium Make Up Brushes

A little while ago I discovered a makeup brush brand that I fell in love with : ) Yes, I know.. I fall in love ALOT when it comes to beauty products but these really were a great find!

BDellium tools make synthetic vegan brushes that are 100% cruelty free and they pride themselves on that.

I originally came across BDellium on twitter and after reading up on them I decided to buy one of their brushes to see what I thought. They have so many to choose from! But at the time I wanted to try a new foundation brush, so I purchased the 953 duo fiber brush from their Maestro Series. I've been racking my brain to try and remember where I bought it from, but I honestly can't remember! I just did a google search at the time and found a UK stockist. It cost around £11.

953 Duo Fiber brush

I've used this a lot since I bought it and I absolutely love it. It gives a lovely finish when applying liquid foundation but I've recently been using it to apply my Chanel Soleil tan (cream bronzer) and I've also used it with cream blush and it's just perfect! It blends so easily and creates a really professional finish : )

I decided to purchase more brushes as I was so pleased with the 953 and I wanted to try something from their Green Bamboo Series... For the simple reason they looked so cute! I haven't got any green brushes so why not try something a bit different?
I decided on the 955 Finishing brush (for foundation) and the 957 Precision Cheek Kabuki brush from CutECOsmetics. They arrived super quickly (yay to CutECOsmetics!) and I can't describe how soft these brushes are, they're such great quality and the fact that they're cruelty free makes them an even better buy.
I'd totally recommend having a browse on the CutECOsmetics website, they only sell eco-friendly, cruelty free products and they have sooooo many goodies to choose from : )

BDellium Green Bamboo 955 Finishing

Brush £10.95 CutECOsmetics

                         BDellium Green Bamboo 957 Precision Cheek
                              Kabuki brush £12.95 CutECOsmetics

Green Bamboo Brush Descriptions

"The Finishing Brush creates the perfect light finish whilst being suitable for blending both face powders or water-based foundations."

I've been using this to apply my foundation and it does an excellent job. It creates a light, airbrushed effect and I'll definately be alternating this with my favourite foundation tool - the beauty blender : )

"The Precision Cheek brush has an extra soft and dense flat bristled head for a professional blushing effect. Ideal for application with liquid, cream or various powder products."

I've only used this one with powder blush and it blends beautifully. It's so soft but like the description says, dense so you can really blend in the product.

My BDellium collection is pretty small right now, but I fully intend to keep adding to it and branch out to some eye brushes as well! I should also mention that they're super easy to clean. I leave them to dry over night (they don't really need that long) and in the morning they're ready to use and are as soft as they were brand new.

I'd recommended this fantastic brand to anyone looking for great quality brushes but not wanting to pay MAC prices! These brushes are just as good.

What are your favourite brush brands? And is it important to you that your brushes are cruelty free?