The £25 High End Beauty Bauble Still Available

HQ hair have come out with a 'Party In The Nude' Beauty Bauble featuring 5 high end products that are worth £87 all for just £25! And get this-  post and packaging is free! I assumed they'd all be gone after the Black Friday and Cyber Monday weekend but they still have them in stock!

If  you're a neutral makeup fan or a high end makeup addict then this is for you. Heck even if you aren't, this would be a fantastic gift for someone! There are 4 full sized products and one sample sized product so it's great value for money- you're not just getting a bauble of samples. They are vegan friendly as well. Included are the following:

• Illamasqua Hydra Veil Primer- Sample (6ml)  The full sized Illamasqua Hydra veil is 30ml.  The Hydra Veil Primer helps you to achieve a super smooth and beautifully flawless complexion. Enriched with Microalgae and Vitamins C and B3, its clear gel formula infuses optimum hydration, whilst Plant Extracts calm and comfort skin to leave it fresh, re-balanced and healthy-looking. Deeply nourishes your complexion to create the perfect base for make-up application. Vegan Friendly.            
• Illamasqua Masquara Gain - Full Size (9ml)  A black mascara to volumise, lengthen and define lashes. Infused with a Walnut-derived active that acts as a natural dye extract, the jet black formula tints lashes for ultimate impact and definition, allowing you to experience improved colour intensity after just two weeks. Lashes appear bigger and bolder.

• Illamasqua Gleam Highlighter in 'Supernatural' - Full Size (6.5g) An iridescent cream highlighter for highlighting the face and body. Infused with vitamin E and mica mineral, the translucent, silky highlighter delivers sheer, pearlescent pigments for a natural-looking, luminous glow.  

• Obsessive Compulsive Cosmetics Loose Colour Concentrate Eye Shadow in 'Brasstacks' - Full Size (2.3g)  This is a micro-refined, light-reflecting mineral pigment powder in a metallic hazel brown. It can be used on the eyes, lips, cheeks and body. Vegan Friendly. Cruelty Free.

• NUDESTIX Lip and Cheek Pencil in ‘Whisper’ (full sized) 2.49g  The all-in-one Lip and Cheek Pencil will give you a highly pigmented colour and coverage. It contains Shea Butter and Vitamin E to hydrate and blend easily on  lips and cheeks. The pencil is also perfect for touching up your make-up on-the-go.  It also has a separate pencil sharpener which is great as the pencil is slightly thicker than a regular eyeliner or lip liner. The pencil contains 2.49g which is actually bigger than the regular nudestix which contains 1.41g. 

 The OCC eye shadow in Brasstacks is a metallic brown like a bronze penny. It looks slightly matte even though it has shimmer. In some lights it looks rose gold like a shiny new penny. The Nudestix Lip and Cheek Pencil in Whisper is a light pink and very Kylie Jenner. The Illamasqua highlighter is a peach colour with a slight golden shimmer to it.

The bauble is 15.5 cm in diameter. On average each item costs £5 which is a bargain compared to their regular prices if bought separately and altogether they're worth £85 and you only get to pay £25! The shipping was fast too I bought it 11pm Thursday and received it on Tuesday. You can buy the Bauble from HQ Hair here.

This is not a sponsored post and I am not affiliated with any company or compensated in any way.  I bought this beauty bauble with my own precious money.

Sophisticated Glitter: Nars Galapagos Eye Shadow Review

During a visit to TK Maxx I managed to score this Nars Galapagos single eye shadow for just £7.99! It normally retails at £18 which is a lot of money for a single eye shadow but you do get 2.2g of product and I don't think I'll be hitting pan very soon. The eye shadow comes in Nars' distinctive matte, rubberised compact case. The compact also includes a mirror and while the case is rubber, it actually feels like suede to the touch.

Nars Galapagos was released with the Nars Holiday 2010 collection and is so popular it has remained part of their permanent line. The eye shadow itself is a warm dark brown with flecks of gold glitter. It's a dark eye shadow that's great for adding depth and a touch of sparkle to a brown smokey eye. I know some people have said that the glitter doesn't translate well, but I used a flat eye shadow brush from Primark to apply it (see photo above) and it looked exactly the same on my eyes as in the pan. I think any flat eye shader brush from MAC, Zoeva or Sigma would achieve the same results. For a smoky eye I just patted eye shadow on the outer edge of the eye and into the crease using a flat brush (with eyes open) instead of a pointed or fluffy brush. This eye shadow doesn't kick up shadow when you use it, but sometimes gold flecks of glitter can appear on the cheeks so I'd advise doing your eye makeup first before applying a foundation or a base.

Nars Galapagos eye shadow is rich in pigment and has impressive staying power. I used it without primer and was on my eyes a full 9 hours later, although not as fresh, the glitter could still be seen. I have fairly oily eye lids too and found it stubborn to remove. In my opinion this definitely lives up to the hype and i'd recommend picking it up for the holiday party season.

Nars Galapagos Eye Shadow is available at Look Fantastic, £18 & Space NK.

Affordable & Good Quality Makeup Brushes: Primark P.S.

On  a visit to Primark I picked up some of their eye and lip brushes and was surprised by the quality. The bristles are soft and not at all scratchy. They are easy to clean and haven't shed.  You can treat them as workhorse brushes as they are cheap to replace. Originally the brushes had silver ferrules with black brush heads with pink tips but they've now switched to rose gold ferrules to capitalise on the rose gold trend.

Most of Primark's makeup brushes are double ended, although they have recently released some brush sets such as the lip brush set and eyebrow set which are not double ended.  With double ended brushes I think you either love them or hate them. On the one hand they are good value for your money, with two brushes in one; and they also save space in your makeup bag while travelling. However they can be awkward to store in a pot and to wash and dry them. The best thing is to find a wide makeup bag / brush holder so the brushes fit inside and maybe to wash one end at a time so that the water doesn't loosen the ferrule. Each individual brush is £1 and the 3 Lip Brush kit has 3 brushes for £3.

The Eye shadow & Concealer brush was the first brush I bought. I was about to place an order for some Sigma eye shadow brushes when I came across this in Primark, saw that they were only £1 and thought it would be worth giving it a go. I was pleasantly surprised, the brush was soft and was good for packing on eye shadow. It is slightly smaller and shorter than Urban Decay's eye shadow brush (from the Naked 1 palette.) The concealer end is a good size, being small enough to cover blemishes but big enough so that covering dark circles isn't a laborious job. It works well with both thicker, creamy concealers and runny liquid formulas. It can also work as an eye shadow brush for larger eyes. The brush is fairly long at 18.5cm which is something to bear in mind when storing brushes away or for those who are short sighted and need to be closer to a mirror. However I was so impressed with this brush I had to go back and buy some more.

The Smokey Eye Brush is not a blending brush. The round end is very small and precise and best used for running along the upper or lower lash line to achieve a smoky look rather than blending eye shadow in the crease. The end with the flat headed brush is slightly smaller than the eye shadow brush head making it good for smaller eyes for placement of shadow. You can use the brush on it's side in a winds wiper motion along the crease (with eye open) for a subtle-ish smokey look.

As for the  Eye Brow Brush, i'm in love. The angled brush is perfect for filling in brows as it's so precise and easy to use. In the past I've just used an old mascara wand to brush through my brows, but I do appreciate having a good spoolie brush as well. Primark have since come out with a 4 brush Eye Brow set which you might want to pick up, I considered doing so but this brush does everything I want really, so for me there's no need.

Three Pack Lip Brush Set 

All the brushes in the set are pointed which mean you can draw a nice neat outline. They are also smaller in length than the eye brushes (around 14cm)  which is good if you are short sighted like me and need to get closer to the mirror.

I actually use the Precision Brush to outline the cupids bow because as it gives a nice sharp line, but it's also good for outing the lips too. The Filing brush is great for filling in the lips and I prefer it over the Real Techniques travel lip brush because of the thinner point at the end. I also use the Cupid's bow brush for outlining the lips as well as defining the cupids bow.

Overall these brushes are definitely worth checking out. Don't let the price fool you, these £1 brushes surpass many makeup brushes in their quality and I prefer them over E.L.F brushes and some of the Royal & Langnickle brushes. They are excellent value for money, good at getting the job done and are easy to wash. This bargain buy is definitely worth adding to your makeup arsenal.

Available in Primark Stores Nationwide.

5 AW16-17 Fashion Trends: Get the Look for Less

One of this season's unmissable trends is velvet. Topshop have an impressive range of velvet bags and clothing including this Preen inspired Pink velvet ruched dress by Jaded London for Topshop (£55.)  Blue velvet dresses are really popular right now and would be perfect to wear for the Christmas party season but hurry they're selling out fast! Miss Selfridge has a long sleeved blue velvet dress (£30) above and Quiz has a Bardot inspired off the shoulder velvet dress  (£19.99.) I also spotted a Bottega Veneta inspired velvet blue suit which is a steal going for £38  from ASOS!

The menswear trend is a masculine /androgynous look with suits and coats in neutral colours in check, pinstripe and hounds-tooth fabrics. 3.1 Phillip Lim styled two very similar grey checked prints together, however if you're unsure about being in head to toe check print you could buy a pair of checked trousers (these are from French Connection £90)  and them pair with a man's white shirt and brogues. Meanwhile Tibi had a new take on the pinstripe suit with slouchy pinstripe trousers and loose fitting blazer for relaxed, informal look. The closest I could find is this suit by Wah London x ASOS (Double Breasted Blazer £75 , Trousers £55) although it's more baggy than slouchy. Finally I managed to find a copy of the Y/Project's long checked coat at Mango (£69.99)

This season tapped into a cat lovers wardrobe, starting with the classic leopard print coat from Givenchy, but a cheaper dupe would be a leopard print coat from Miss Selfridge now £50 in the sale. The red cat printed dress from Dolce and Gabbana makes a bold statement and I've sourced a similar red cat patterned tea dress from Lindybop (£24) which features cats and umbrellas. It's very similar and comes in a wide range of sizes from size 8-26. If you'd rather just give a subtle nod to the cat trend then accessorise with a porcelain cat necklace like at Loewe, although this one from Blossom and Bronze, Etsy (£11.99) is a lot cheaper.

I actually really like this trend it's sexy without revealing too much, though you might want to wear a warm coat on top for the winter! I managed to find a dress similar to the one from Rihanna's Fenty Puma line, from The Jet Set Diaries, Revolve (£48.) Although it's in a different colour and slightly shorter this cornflower blue dress has a similar lace up detail across the chest as the dress at Proenza Schouler. It is from First and I at ASOS (£15). I also found a near identical copy of Anthony Vaccarello's dress from Missguided (£34) a bargain!

This season the traditionally green military trend also encompassed blue Naval inspired clothes as well. Military style wool coats are practical, being both warm and smart. I found this long green wool coat from La Redoute (£99) which fits the bill and is available in sizes 6-24. For a smart navy coat this one from Atelier R at La Redoute (£149) will do the trick and comes in size 6-22.  Capes are also back in fashion and this military inspired one is from ASOS (£75.)

15 Beauty Advent Calendars That You Can Still Buy

Every year it seems as though the shops start displaying their Christmas merchandise earlier and earlier. Beauty calendars are now a big business, many are released two or three months before Christmas and sell out quickly. However for those who shudder at the mention of the C word before Halloween you haven't completely missed the boat as there are still lots of calendars available to choose from. While beauty calendars are more expensive than traditional chocolate calendars, they are often good value for money. As many are filled with a brand's bestsellers it can be a way of trialing a brand without spending as much while mixed brand calendars are like one-off beauty boxes. It's always nice having a little treat everyday, whether it makes you excited to get out of bed or to have something to look forward to after a hard day and best of all these treats are calorie free. Some calendars have 12 doors to represent the 12 days of Christmas while others have 24 or 25 doors for each day in December. Whatever your budget I have you covered, the sixteen calendars below range from £15- £205. I've started with the most expensive as these tend to sell out quickly. Click on the blue links if you want to buy or check out the calendar.

Estee Lauder Holiday Countdown Advent Calendar 24 Luxe Beauty Surprises Boots £205

Includes:

• Bronze Goddess Mini Bronzer Compact Medium
• Advanced Night Micro Cleansing Balm 7ml
• Revitalizing Supreme + Global Anti-Aging Cell Power Creme 15ml
• New Dimension Sculpt + Glow Mask 15ml
• New Dimension Shape + Fill Expert Serum 4ml
• Advanced Night Repair Eye Synchronized Complex II 5ml
•  Micro Essence Skin Activating Treatment Lotion 15ml
•  Advanced Night Repair Synchronized Recovery Complex II 15ml
•  Advanced Night Repair Intensive Recovery Ampoules (10 ampoules)
•  2 Pure Color Nail Lacquers 5ml
•  3 Mini Pure Color Envy Lipsticks
•  Pure Color Envy Sculpting Lacquer 4.6ml
•  2 Pure Color Envy Lip Glosses 4.6ml
•  Sumptuous Infinite Daring Length + Volume Mascara 2.8ml
•  Sumptuous Knockout Defining Lift And Fan Mascara 2.8ml
•  Little Black Primer 2.8ml
•  Modern Muse 4ml
•  Modern Muse Le Rouge 4ml
•  Modern Muse Le Rouge Gloss 4ml
•  Brow Now Stay-in-Place Brow Gel (Clear)

Charlotte Tilbury: Word of Legendary Parties Advent Calendar £150 Selfridges

Amazingly this is still in stock. It contains 12 award-winning travel-sized beauty products to make the party season legendary.

1. Mini Magic Cream® 
2. Mini Wonderglow® 
3. Mini Multi Miracle Glow 
4. Mini Goddess Skin Clay Mask 
5. Mini Take It All Off Eye Makeup Remover 
6. Mini Supermodel Body 
7. Eyes to Mesmerise: Marie Antoinette 
8. K.I.S.S.I.N.G.® Lipstick: Penelope Pink
9. Colour Chameleon: Black Diamonds 
10. EXCLUSIVE Pocket Pout: Jessica Red 
11. Mini Legendary Lashes 
12. Lip Lustre: Sweet Stiletto 

Selfridges Eclectic Little Luxuries Advent Calendar Selfridges £95

Selfridges have taken the best from Lancome, YSL, Kiehls, Vicktor and Rolf and Urban Decay for this calendar. Includes:

1. YSL Touche Eclat Blur Primer 10ml
2.  YSL Instant Moisture Glow 5ml
3.  YSL Mon Paris EDP 7.5ml
4.  Lancôme Trésor EDP 7.5ml
5.  Lancôme La Vie est Belle EDP 4ml
6.  Lancôme Hypnôse Mascara 2ml
7.  Lancôme Hypnôse Volume-À-Porter 2ml
8.  Lancôme Absolue Premium ßx 15ml
9. Lancôme Énergie De Vie Liquid Moisturiser 5ml, 
10. Lancôme Advanced Génifique Serum 7ml
11.  Lancôme Advanced Génifique Eye Cream 5ml
12. Lancôme Galatéis Douceur 50ml
13.  Lancôme Tonique Douceur 50ml
14.  Lancôme Bi-Facil 30ml
15.  Viktor & Rolf Flowerbomb 7ml
16.  Viktor & Rolf Bonbon 7ml
17.  YSL Black Opium Nuit Blanche 7.5ml
18.  YSL Black Opium EDP 7.5ml
19.  Kiehls Ultra Facial Cleanser
20.  Kiehls Crème de Corps 30ml
21.  Kiehls Midnight Recovery Concentrate 4ml
22.  Kiehls Amino Acid Shampoo 30ml
23. Urban Decay All Nighter Makeup Setting Spray 15ml
24. Urban Decay Eye Shadow Primer Potion 2ml

Cowshed Advent Calendar £85 Cowshed Online 

        Contains 24 miniature treats for hands, hair, face and body including:

1. Cow Pat Moisturising Hand Cream 
2. Cow Herb Restoring Hand Cream 
3. Cow Slip Soothing Hand Cream 
4. Gorgeous Cow Blissful & Shower Gel 
5. Gorgeous Cow Blissful Body Lotion
6.  Knackered Cow Relaxing Bath & Shower Gel 
7. Knackered Cow Relaxing Body Lotion 
8. Knackered Cow Relaxing Bath & Body Oil 
9. Wild Cow Invigorating Bath & Shower Gel 
10. Wild Cow Invigorating Body Lotion 
11. Lazy Cow Soothing Bath & Shower Gel 
12. Grumpy Cow Uplifting Bath & Shower Gel 
13. Horny Cow Seductive Bath & Shower Gel 
14. Moody Cow Balancing Body Lotion 
15. Cowlick Gentle Shampoo 
16. Saucy Cow Softening Conditioner 
17. Lippy Cow Natural Lip Balm 
18. Cow Slip Anti-Bacterial Hand Gel
19.  Apricot Nourishing Cuticle Oil
20.  Lavender Gentle Cleanser
21.  Chamomile Refreshing Toner
22.  Quinoa Hydrating Daily Moisturiser 
23. Sleepy Cow Calming Bath Salts 
24. Sleepy Cow Calming Tea

Decleor £74.95 All Beauty. £75 Very

Contains 25 beauty treats that are worth over £185. There are 2 full sized products, 19 face products and 6 body products

Bare Minerals Countdown to Gorgeous QVC now £73.44

Contains 23 Travel sized makeup products plus a key chain

• 6 x Marvelous Moxie Lipgloss in Crowd Pleaser, Trail Blazer, Girl Next Door, Daredevil, Smooth Talker, Risk Taker (0.8ml) 
• 4 x Pop of Passion Lip Oil Balm in Pink Passion, Plumberry Pop, Rose Passion, Nude Passion (1g)   
• 5 x Eye colour in Chime, Vanilla Sugar, All Spice, Ethereal, Thankful (0.28g) 
• 2 x Blush in Lola and Tropical Sunset (0.57g) 
• 1 x Glee All-Over Face Colour Radiance (0.57g) 
•  2 x Mineral Veil Original and Tinted (0.75g) 
• 1 x Lash Domination Mascara (1.5ml) 
•  1 x Lash Domination Petite Precision Mascara (1.5ml) 
•  1 x Skin longevity Vital Power Infusion (7.5ml)  
• 1 x Keepsake Keychain

Clarins Men 12 Days Of Christmas Set £65, Selfridges  

It's unusual but pleasantly inclusive to have a calendar aimed towards men, there are 12 travel sized products for the 12 Days of Christmas. Includes the following

1. Anti-fatigue Eye Serum
2. Hair and Body Shampoo
3. Booster Detox,
4. Foaming Face Wash
5. Bath and Shower Concentrate
6.  Exfoliating Cleanser
7.  Revitalising Gel
8.  Aftershave Soother
9.  Super Moisture balm
10.  Double Serum
11. Hand Cream
12.  Active Face Wash

NYX Cosmetics Advent Calendar  £60, Selfridges

Includes: 12  x soft matte lip creams, 12 x mini eye shadows

Ciate Mini Mani Month 2016 Set £50 Feel Unique  ASOS

24 piece gift set Worth £150. Includes the following

17 x 5ml mini nail polishes
Including four new and exclusive shades
1 x 13.5ml nail polish
2 x 5ml nail toppers
Decorative glitter shades
1 x 5ml top coat
1 x 5ml Status Grow
Overnight nail mask
Designed to boost nail growth
1 x 5ml Nail Saviour
1 x limited edition nail file

ASOS Beauty Calendar 2016 £50 free Delivery ASOS

Contains 24 products across skincare, makeup and hair care brands which are worth £175 altogether.

1. Amie Exfoliating Polish 25ml 
2. Balance Me Eye Cream 7ml
3. Batiste XXXL Plumping Powder 5g 
4. Burt's Bees Tinted Lip Balm 4.25g 
5. Cowshed Hand Cream 50ml 
6. Dermalogica Foaming Wash 30ml 
7. Egyptian Magic All Purpose Skin Cream 7.5ml 
8. Elemis Skin Radiance Flash Balm 15ml 
9. Glam Candy Moisturiser 15ml 
10. Jane Iredale Facial Primer 7ml 
11. Lottie London Compact Mirror 
12. MOA Multi-Purpose Calming and Cleansing Balm 15ml
13. Model Co Lip Liner 0.7g 
14. MONU Skin Firming Facial Oil 30ml 
15. Murine Bright & Moist Eyedrops 15ml 
16. Nail & Face Water Activated Nail Transfers 4g 
17. Nip+Fab Exfoliating Facial Pads 20g/10 pads 
18. Nude By Nature Loose Finishing Powder 1.5g 
19. Nuxe Multi-Usage Dry Oil 10ml 
20. Philip Kingsley Conditioning Treatment 40ml 
21. Philosophy 3-in-1 Face And Eyes Cleanser 30ml 
22. Sleek Matte Lip Cream 6ml 
23. Toni&Guy Hair Texturising Spray 75ml 
24. Yes To Facial Wipes 63g 

Benefit Cosmetics Girl O'clock Rock £34.50 Debenehams 

Benefit Cosmetics website on 21/11/16

12 doors to reveal goodies galore. Gift set worth £68 and contains miniatures of:

1. The POREfessional
2. They're real! Mascara
3. Benetint- Rose-tinted lip & cheek stain 
4. Posietint- Poppy-pink tinted lip & cheek stain 
5. Lollitint- Candy-orchid tinted lip & cheek stain
6. They're real! Remover
7.  It's potent! Eye cream
8. Ultra plush lip gloss in lollibop
9. Lip gloss Hoola
10. Bronzing powder Dandelion
11. BADgal- lash Mascara 
12. High beam- Satiny pink complexion highlighter 

Sanctuary The Let Go Days of Christmas Advent Calendar Boots, £25 Sanctuary Online

Contains 24 doors with generous travel sized products.

1. Foaming Creamy Bath Soak 75ml
2. Gentle Polish Body Scrub 50ml 
3. Cleansing Burst Body Wash 75ml 
4. Luxurious Body Butter 50ml 
5. Velverty Hand Cream 30ml 
6. White Lily & Damask Rose Body Wash 75ml 
7. Moisture Burst Facial Wash 30ml 
8. Green Lemon & Orange Blossom Body Wash 75ml
9.  Intensive Heel Balm 35ml 
10. Foaming Micellar Cleansing Water 50ml 
11. Wonder Body 50ml 
12. Radiance Exfoliator 15ml 
13. Ultimate Salt Scrub 60g
14. 5 Minute Thermal Detox Mask 15g 
15. White Lily & Damask Rose Body Lotion 75ml
16.  Rose & Cassis Tea light candle 
17. Heart Shaped Cookie cutter 
18. Let Go Eye Mask 
19. Toe Dividers 
20. Nail file
21.  Signature Sanctuary Tea light candle 
22. Cuticle stick
23. Let Go Bulldog Clip 
24. Exfoliating Mitt

Makeup Revolution Beauty Advent Calendar 2016 Now £25 (reduced from £40) Superdrug

Contains 25 full sized products including:

• 6x Lipsticks
• 2x Lipglosses
• 1x Eye Primer
• 1x Liquid Highlighter
• 3x Mono Eye shadows
• 2x Baked Blusher
• 1x Highlighter

Ghost 12 Days of Christmas EDT Advent Calendar £25 Superdrug

I love Ghost fragrances so I'm very tempted to buy this one. Exclusive to Superdrug this calendar contains:

1. GHOST Limited Edition Scented Lip Gloss in Nightberry (3ml) 
2. GHOST Limited Edition Scented Lip Gloss in Pure Nude (3ml) 
3. GHOST Eclipse Limited Edition Eau de Toilette Traveller (10ml) 
4. GHOST Limited Edition Nail Polish in Glitterbomb (7ml)
5. GHOST Sweetheart Limited Edition Eau de Toilette Traveller (5ml) 
6. GHOST Limited Edition Nail Polish in Golden Glitter (7ml) 
7. GHOST Eclipse Limited Edition Etched Gold Mirror Compact 
8. GHOST The Fragrance Limited Edition Eau de Toilette Traveller (5ml) 
9. GHOST Limited Edition Lipstick in Girl Pink (3g) 
10. GHOST Deep Night Limited Edition Eau de Toilette Traveller (10ml) 
11. GHOST Limited Edition Nail Polish in Silverlight (7ml) 
12. GHOST Girl Eau de Toilette (30ml)

Tanya Burr 12 Day Beauty Calendar 2016 now £15 Superdrug

12 doors hide a Tanya Burr limited edition treat. Containing the following

• Glitter Rain Nail Polish 
• Sleigh Bells Nail Polish 
• Glitter Gold 
• Aurora Lip Gloss
• Christmas Stocking Matte Lip 
• Berry Pavlova Lip Gloss 
• Snow Day Glitter Pot 
• Champagne Sparkle Glitter Pot 
• Ice Crystals Glitter Liner 
• Treasured Glitter Liner