Well, I'm going to get all cliche up in here but blimey this year has gone quick hasn't it?! All in all 2015 has been a really good year for me; I've been to some awesome places, seen some incredible things and most importantly...been hooked on some bloody great tv shows. No, seriously, 2015 has been the year of the boxset binge for me!

Without taking myself too seriously and getting too sentimental I thought I'd share my best bits with you but the only difference is, well, this is me we're talking about so they're not your standard reminiscent anecdotes, nope, they're a bit strange - like me!

In 2015...I Fell Back In Love With Daniel Radcliffe
Cue Take That and Lulu because the fire is well and truly re-lit, my friends. I've always been a huge DanRad fan and anyone who knew me when i was fourteen can vouch for this. There's always been a place in my heart for DR and this year, with the release of The Gamechangers (I mean, my FAVE actor in a movie about my FAVE video game, I could've exploded), What If and Victor Frankenstein, I could just feel the feels coming back!

The great news is that in 2016 Daniel is starring in Now You See Me 2 which is the sequel to one of my all-time favourites movies so the chances of me copying and pasting this paragraph into next year's best bits are extremely likely...

In 2015...I Somehow Got Lucky And Attended Two Movie Premieres
One of my favourite things about 2015 has to be attending the London premieres of the two movies that completely made my year and despite the movies being bloody amazing the best thing was being able to take one of my best friends to each screening. I was lucky enough to get invited to the premiere of The Hunger Games: Mockingly Part II and Maze Runner: The Scorch Trials (I do love a sequel, me) and I couldn't be more grateful that I had the chance to attend.

In 2015...I Explored The Big Apple & The City Of Lights For The First Time
I'm a girl of habit so for me, spending a lot of money on trips to new places always makes me think twice because what if i get there and I don't like it?! Luckily, this year I said 'screw it' and jetted off to New York City in January and then Paris in November and you know what, I'm so glad I did. Despite getting caught in the historic snow storm in NYC and then being in Paris for the terrible terror attacks I still fell head over heels in love with each city and can't wait to return to both to wander the streets and explore some more.

In 2015...I Finally Understood The Victoria Secret Hype
I love pizza and pizza loves me. That's why I'll never look like a VS model and also why in the past I've grumbled at the thought of watching stunningly beautiful women strut their stuff down a catwalk in underwear sets that cost more than i'll earn in a lifetime. BUT NOT THIS YEAR. This year, I finally got it. I sat down (after eating a burger and fries cos you know, I gotta do me still) and watched the VS Fashion Show in awe and even gained a big old girl crush on Gigi Hadid. I also feel hugely inspired in the new year to kick my butt into gear and start eating right and working out more so only good things came of my VS Fashion Show experience so that'll teach me won't it?

In 2015...I Turned Into An Old Lady
This year I've truly felt like I'm 24 going on 74 because I've hibernated 90% of the time and have absolutely no regrets at all. My favourite evenings are the ones spent in comfortable clothes with minimal makeup on and the company of my friends and family. Today for example, the last Saturday before Christmas I happily spent with my best friend in London watching Thomas Brodie-Sangster in a play before heading home, putting my new PJs on and curling up on the sofa beside the Christmas tree watching the Strictly final. PURE BLISS.

In 2015...My Blog Began
It feels like I've been posting here for much longer but I only started this blog earlier this year in April. I'm so, so glad I did because this blog gives me so much enjoyment and I hope you all enjoy reading and visiting just as much.

I hope your 2015 has been amazing and incredible and i want to hear all about the awesome things that you've been up to so leave me a comment below and let me know what your favourite thing about the last year has been for you!

FREEDOM MAKEUP PRO BLUSH & HIGHLIGHT PALETTE COLLECTION REVIEW

If you're not familiar with Freedom Makeup then let me give you the lowdown. From the same team behind Makeup Revolution, Freedom Makeup is a budget beauty brand currently exclusive to Superdrug stores. Personally, I much prefer the products and packaging in the Freedom Makeup collection over its' sister brand Makeup Revolution's but that's just me.

I've got quite a range of products from Freedom but this particular post is all about their Pro Blush and Highlight Powders because they're not only affordable and great quality but they're also so very pretty!

Now, like other budget beauty brands these lovelies come with their flaws, don't get me wrong; they're not as long lasting or wearing as a more expensive brand, however they are perfectly suitable for the days when you want to try out something new or you've run out of your favourite blush or bronzer and have a great backup handy.

The four palettes I purchased are 'Bronze and Baked', 'Pink & Baked', 'Peach & Baked' and 'Highlight & Baked' and each palette only set me back £6 each - bargain!

Each colour is highly pigmented, as you can see above there are plenty of shades included meaning it's super easy to switch from a bright, hot pink blush one day to a muted rose shade the next using only one palette. The highlight palette includes six creme to powder highlighters and two baked highlighters which again makes it really simple to go for a maxed out super sheen highlight and then switch it up to a soft, natural glow another day.

One thing I love about this brand is their packaging, the palettes remind me a little of the Makeup Forever range, super sleek and compact which is perfect for storing (boring, I know but these things are important and I'm all about the space-saving).

Have you tried anything from the Freedom Makeup collection? Would you like to see a review of more products? Let me know in the comments below!

10 REASONS WHY CHRISTMAS AS KIDS WAS SO GREAT

As soon as the decorations go up in this house I always get hit with a wave of nostalgia and *feels* because I'm still spending Christmas in my childhood home so there are familiar decorations and traditions all over the place. It also gets me thinking about all the reasons why Christmas was so incredibly awesome when you're a child and still believe in Father Christmas so I thought I'd share my favourites with you!

• You didn't have to contribute to putting any of the decorations up, the tree just suddenly appeared and the stockings were hanging over the fireplace and it was all so magical. Well, until you go to touch a bauble and your mum's spider sense tingles from another room and she tells you that you move or touch anything on the tree at your own peril. 

• It was so exciting to get the Argos catalogue out so you could narrow down your list to Santa but apparently November 1st was too soon to sit on the sofa folding down pages and circling toys that you wanted...


• Picking a multipack of Christmas cards for your entire class at school then making the really difficult decision of which card design to give to which person and finally posting them in the little red post-box left in reception area just in time for handing-out day.


• You were never picked as Mary in the Nativity play but it was okay because a) you made the best Angel Gabriel anyone's ever seen and b) the chosen Mary kept messing up her lines and crying into the cardboard manger.


• Nothing felt as good as waking up in the night for the 2453rd time to see it was finally 4:30am which meant in half an hour it was going to be reasonably acceptable to wake up your siblings and run into your parents bedroom for the stocking-opening ceremony.


• Receiving a 'Bang On The Door' set of smellies from a girl in your class that you'd spoken to once throughout the year and pretending you'd left theirs at home before your mum rushes out last minute to One Stop to get them a box of celebrations.


• The magic of coming downstairs in the morning to see Rudolph had taken a bite of the carrot and the brandy and mince pie had vanished and a note from Father Christmas thanking you, yes, you personally, for the treats.


• Being completely and utterly amazed by that one fish cracker present. You know the one, the little flimsy paper fish that can sum up your whole personality and entire life achievements depending on the way it curls in the palm of your hand. 'The tails curled up. I'm jealous? Do it again on the other hand.'


• When your parents did that thing where they pretend like you haven't got much or Father Christmas forgot to bring you the one thing you really wanted and then Nan and Grandad come round and bam there's the Cabbage Patch Kid doll that you circled in marker pen thirty times in the Argos catalogue.


• Finally, the best thing about being a kid at Christmas has to be that first peek around the living room door in the dark and seeing presents before practically screaming at your parents that 'HE'S BEEN! HE'S BEEN!!'

Can you relate to any of these? I would LOVE to hear your Christmas memories so feel free to share in the comments below and we can reminisce together.

SALON SCIENCE HAS THE ULTIMATE HAIRCARE RANGE FOR DAMAGED HAIR

I have been a long-term sufferer of over-processed, dry hair for quite some time (due to previous highlights, ombre and dye-jobs) so for years I've been on the hunt for an affordable product I can use without shelling out loads of cash on the expensive ranges always pushed by salons and hairdressers. 
So, you'll be more than happy to discover that after googling 'Gigi Hadid hair secrets' at the weekend, I discovered one of her stylists swears by the Salon Science ReCorrect Leave In Treatment, £15, for over-processed damaged hair, which lead to me rushing out to Boots at the weekend to grab a bottle. I also picked up the Shampoo and Conditioner in the same range while I was there because they're currently on offer at 3 for 2 so I couldn't say no to that.

After recently having highlights to blend away the ombre look I've had for the past year I was in need of a little TLC so after buying the Salon Science products I was more than excited to try them out. I washed my hair first with the Salon Science Retextuluxe Shampoo, £13 and Salon Science Retextuluxe Conditioner, £15 and found only a tiny amount of each is needed and instantly my hair felt clean and soft and the smell, which is grape, is so lovely!

I was most excited to try the leave-in treatment, as I think these are where you find the best results when it comes to hair care. The great thing about this treatment is the fact that it is a leave-in conditioner, you don't have to sit around with wet hair for 20 minutes while it works before getting back in the shower and washing it off and I love that. I used a small, chestnut-sized amount and worked it into my ends before using any leftover nearer my roots.

A lot of comments and reviews about this product are that it's too heavy or it's making people's hair feel too greasy. Personally, I didn't experience this at all when using the treatment and I can only imagine that perhaps if you do get that feeling then using a smaller amount and making sure it's worked fully into your ends only, steering clear of the roots, then you may notice a difference.

I then blow-dried and styled as normal, using my usual heat defence spray and my hair felt amazing afterwards, soft and silky despite the beatings it's taken recently from the highlights. The best thing about this treatment is that you can use it regularly and the bottle recommends at least twice a week so you may get through it a little quicker than some of those other intensive hair masks but the fact you're treating your hair to that luxury multiple times a week means you'll notice a difference much sooner.

FRESH FACE SKIN ROUTINE

So, I have serious commitment issues when it comes to my skincare routine. My skin is so temperamental at the moment and for once it doesn't seem as sensitive and dry as it has done recently so I took the opportunity to have a look around Superdrug last weekend for something new and over the last week I've been putting everything I bought to the test!

My little haul consisted of three products (excluding my favourite Simple Cleansing Face Wipes which needed restocking); Neutrogena's Visibly Clear Pore & Shine Daily Scrub, £4.49, Neutrogena's Visibly Clear Pore & Shine Daily Wash, £4.49 and Nip + Fab's Soften Kale Fix Clay Mask, £7.45.

Let's start with the Neutrogena Daily Wash. I've been using this product twice a day, six days a week and because of a certain dreaded time of the month last week, I had a really nasty zit under my nose. It was one of those fiends that lurks under the skin and feels the size of a small comet but doesn't look too bad but you know it's there. Know what i mean? One of those.

When applying make-up I've always noticed how large my pores are, especially around my T-Zone which I think is why I tend to break out every now and again as they get clogged so easily with oils and make-up etc. Since using the Daily Wash my skin definitely feels healthier and brighter and it also smells like tangerine and lime which in itself just smells clean and fresh! Just a small amount of the gel lathers up to a nice foam when you use it so it's not one of those products you'll have to purchase again a week later because you've used it all already.

Next up is the Neutrogena Daily Scrub also from the same Pore and Shine range as the daily wash. The products are very similar but the main difference is that this product is a scrub so it contains little beads which have a gentle, exfoliating quality. I used this last night (Friday) because even though I've been using the wash every day it still felt good to scrub away the 'grime' after a week at work wearing makeup daily.

Lastly, I picked up the Nip + Fab Soften Kale Fix Clay Mask. Kale seems to be everywhere and the other day i honestly tweeted about how much more I prefer kale on my face to eating it and this clay mask is the reason why. I love a face mask, I think it just instantly feels luxurious and pampering which is what we all need at least once a week. This is a thick clay mask which you just apply onto clean dry skin, you let it sit for 5-10 minutes (or 20 if like me you apply it in the bath while you get distracted by Once Upon A Time). My skin felt really smooth and clean after using this and due to the fact it contains witch hazel it was also really gently on my skin.

Have you tried any new skincare products recently? Let me know what you're loving right now!

CHRISTMAS GIFT GUIDE UNDER £15

It's that time of year once again. For me, it's the time of year when I vow to be more organised and plan my presents for friends and family and buy some of them at the end of November. Partly because I'm terrible at budgeting and partly because I despise leaving the house at the weekend in December because everywhere's so freaking busy. Cry face.

SO, in an attempt to be a better person this festive period I've put together loads of amazing gift ideas which are amazing not only because they're actually things people would want but also because they're all under £15!

New Look Pink Faux Fur iPad Mini Case, £12.99

New Look Detox Pamper Set, £6.99

New Look Magnetic Polaroid Frames, £5.99

Keep Calm and Colour On Colouring Book, £4.99

ASOS Christmas Star Hot Water Bottle and Cosy Socks Set, £12

Sass & Belle Copper Flower Jewellery Stand, £9.00

ASOS Cat Makeup Bag with Glitter Ears, £10.00

Marshmallow Toasting Kit, £14.75

'What Would Beyonce Do' Pencils, £5.00

Sass & Belle Retro Arrow Print Sign, £8.99

Ban.Do 'But First Coffee' Thermal Mug, £14.00

PARIS

Before I left for the City of Lights with my best friend on the 12th November I had a clear image in my mind of how this blog post was going to be; lots of photos including the Eiffel Tower, Notre Dame and Disneyland Paris with plenty of content proclaiming my love for the city of Paris.

Sadly, on Friday 13th November the city we were staying in fell victim to a vicious terror attack where over a hundred people lost their lives. Luckily, we'd spent the day at Disneyland Paris and as we left the park at around 8'o'clock we changed our minds about finding somewhere for dinner back in Paris and stayed in the park to eat instead. As soon as we were off the train and back in our hotel our phones went mad with text messages from friends and family back at home and at first we shrugged it off. We'd heard nothing and the trains were running as normal back from Disney. It wasn't until we were in our hotel room that we discovered the extent of what was happening, just ten minutes down the road from our little hotel.

In the run up to the tragic event that left us glued to the news in our hotel room for the rest of the night I'd fallen head over heels for a city I'd spent only 36 hours in and can't wait to return to as soon as possible. I documented our little explorations in a series of photos that I'd love to share with you all.

I hope you enjoyed these few snapshots of the city of Paris. My post about our day in Disneyland will be up soon! 

MAKE UP FOR EVER ULTRA HD FOUNDATION REVIEW

The Background

When you don't have a Sephora in your entire country it sort of means that when you do finally get a chance to hit one up it's comparable to how I felt when I was seven and unleashed into the many aisles of Toys R' Us.

So, during a recent trip to France I paid a visit to Paris' Sephora store and picked up something that I've wanted for about a year now; Make Up For Ever's Ultra HD Foundation. I have heard endless good things about this product and have been super excited to try it for myself.

My Experience

This foundation is an oil-free, long-lasting liquid foundation and there's a whopping 40 shades in the range which really helps to create that natural-finish as you're not forced to opt for a shade which can be one or two tones from your natural skin colour. 

As I suffer from quite dry skin I've found the consistency of this foundation perfect along with a setting powder and spray it stays put all day. I use a beauty blender to buff the liquid into my skin and it instantly settled in to create a satin-like finish. The coverage is probably a light to medium and I often use two layers to cover a few blemishes or the more red areas around my nose. 

I haven't suffered any breakouts since using this foundation and my skin is quite sensitive and spot prone so a foundation that doesn't feel like it's clogging up my pores is essential. 

My Recommendations

If you've given this foundtion a go and had a few problems then the one thing I'd suggest is trying it with a different primer as this foundation is primarily water-based. Silicone based primers will cause Ultra HD to break-up and appear patchy so when shopping for a primer check to make sure that's silicone minimal or free to make the most of your Ultra HD.

Comment below if you've tried this foundation and what your thoughts are, I'd love to know! Also, if you have any recommendations for great alternative foundations that you're loving then let me know as I'm always on the look out!

BOOKSHELF: THE CREEPIEST THRILLERS TO COSY UP WITH THIS WINTER

This time last time I would usually be curled up on the sofa or in bed reading a festive chick-lit novel and don't get me wrong, every now and again I do love a Christmas-themed read. However, for me, this year has been the year of the thriller novel and I've worked my way through some amazing, gripping stories throughout 2015, including You by Caroline Kepnes, The Never List by Koethi Zan and The Girl On The Train by Paula Hawkins.

So don your onesie or winter pjs, make a nice hot cup of tea and curl up on the sofa with one of these books that I guarantee you won't want to put down.

Little Black Lies by Sharon Bolton *
What's the worst thing your best friend could do to you? Admittedly, it wasn't murder. A moment's carelessness, a tragic accident - and two children are dead. Yours. This is the first line of the blurb and I know, it sounds intense but bear with, bear with. This book wasn't exactly what I expected, of course there is murder and death involved but it's not all entirely as sinister and evil as it first seems which I rather quite liked as it's a little different to your standard murder mystery.

Crazy Love You by Lisa Unger
Sometimes your best friend can be your worst enemy. Ian and Priss have been friends since they were children playing in the woods outside their small town. But Ian knows there's a darkness to Priss. Bad stuff seems to occur when she's around. Fires start. People die. Still, Priss is his best friend, and best friends are forever.
This is a weird one. Like Little Black Lies, Crazy Love You isn't everything it seems and I similar to You by Caroline Kepnes, this book is written from a male point of view which can be refreshing to read every now and again. This is pretty much a creepy-ass story of a girl who can't let go of her male best-friend Ian and that can make things a little itty bit difficult when said male friend meets a girl who makes him want to change for the better. Unfortunately for Ian, Priss doesn't like change. At all...

The Lie by C.L. Taylor
Jane Hughes has a loving partner, a job in an animal sanctuary and a tiny cottage in rural Wales. She's happier than she's ever been but her life is a lie. Jane Hughes does not really exist. Five years earlier Jane and her then best friends went on holiday but what should've been the trip of a lifetime rapidly descended into a nightmare that claimed the lives of two women. 

This book is gripping from the get-go which is amazing because we all know how much it sucks to hear great things about a book from other people but not be able to get past the first chapter yourself. You're instantly thrown into the story when 'Jane' receives a letter at work from someone who knows her name isn't Jane and it's in fact Emma. There's so much going on in this novel that I can't elaborate on the blurb any more without giving SO much away.

The theme and nature of this story is something that genuinely creeps me out a little which made for such a good read!

Disclaimer by Renee Knight *
Imagine coming across yourself in a novel, a novel that exposes your darkest secret. A secret you thought nobody knew. When an intriguing novel appears on Catherine's bedside table she curls up and begins to read. But as she turns the pages she is sickened to realise the story will reveal her darkest secret.

I'm only half-way through this one at the moment but really wanted to include it in this post because so far I love it. It's a little bit slow-moving but the general premise of the novel interested me so much that I'm going to persist because now we're getting to the juicy stuff and slowly beginning to discover who wrote the book about Catherine although we haven't uncovered the details of the dark secret she is trying so hard to conceal.

What are you reading this winter? Let me know in the comments below or tweet me over at @laurenfell

*These books were gifted to me by Transworld Publications.

MID-WEEK RETREAT IN CENTER PARCS ELVEDEN FOREST

Back in October I was lucky to spend five days at the beautiful Center Parcs Elveden Forest location with my family. We've visited Elveden a few times before now and each time I fall in love a little more with the outdoors and a little less with my phone and the internet while I'm there which can be incredibly refreshing and thought-provoking. Look at me getting all deep!

If you've never been to Center Parcs before then let me give you a little insight. There are now five locations set in the most gorgeous of forest around England and each are like their own little village with a town centre, huge indoor leisure pool and a small collection of shops and restaurants. The best thing about Center Parcs for me is the no-car rule. Everyone hires bikes to ride around on and you won't see a car on the road except for check in and check out days and there are plenty of paths and trails to ride on. The atmosphere is so relaxed that I rarely wear make-up or change out of sweatpants and a hoodie during the whole stay, I also indulged in some activities that I'd never normally get stuck into this year like archery and a lot of badminton each day.

We stayed in a stunning four-bedroom villa in the Ash area of the village which was set back in the forest with a private hot tub, sauna and steam room which we definitely made the most of. There's an abundance of wildlife to witness when you're staying in the forest and while we played pool in the games room each morning we had the odd visitor or two!

Have you visited Center Parcs in the UK or Europe? Let me know in the comments below what you love most about the villages.

WHAT'S IN MY TRAVEL BAG?

At 4am on Thursday morning I'll be waking up, drinking lots of tea and getting ready to head off to St Pancras Station where I'll jump on the Eurostar with one of my best friends to spend four days in the city of Paris! I am hugely excited about going back to the City of Lights, I haven't visited since I was a child so I'm really looking forward to experiencing all the city has to offer including food, shopping, Disneyland, sight-seeing, more food and more shopping.

Along with the standard things I'll be packing for this trip like everyday make-up and toiletries etc there were also a few extra special things I'm throwing into my travel bag for this trip and I wanted to share them with you.

First is my beloved Lush Tea Tree Water spray. I can't go a morning or evening without using this product now as it just makes me skin feel so clean and fresh. I wrote a whole post dedicated to this awesome product which was basically just me going on about all the incredible things this product can do so if you want to know more then click here.

My trusty Bourjois Paris 123 Perfect CC Cream will also be joining me for the trip. Choosing one foundation is tricky when you're only away for a few days but this product is one of my absolute favourites because it's lightweight enough for the daytime and I can also add a little more for a fuller coverage in the evenings when we go for dinner and drinks. This CC cream also targets tired looking skin, redness and dark spots so after a 4am start on Thursday I'm gonna be needing as much anti-fatique as I can get!

I'm a sucker for a book to read when I'm away even though I don't think I'm going to have much time to relax and read, I will need something to distract me during the 2 hour Eurostar train journey from London to Paris. At the moment I'm hooked on Joe Sugg's graphic novel Username: Evie. Not only is it apt because the best friend I'm going to Paris with is called Evie but it also happens to be a bloomin' good read which I really recommend even if you've never bought a graphic novel before!

If you can't wear fancy, brightly coloured lipsticks in Paris then when can you? This was my thinking behind packing these gorgeous two shades from MAC; Candy Yum Yum and Vegas Volt. Both are bright, daring shades that I'm very excited to wear as I usually stick to much more muted, nude shades such as Pure Zen or Honey Love.

Finally, I'll be packing Zoella's light and lovely Let's Spritz body mist. Although recently I've discovered a real love for perfumes thanks to Vera Wang's Lovestruck, I've only ever really been a body-mist kinda gal after falling in love with the Victoria Secret and Hollister sprays. I like how light and fresh they are without smelling too musky and this one of Zoella's does the trick perfectly.

AUTUMN/WINTER BEAUTY FAVOURITES

Halloween is over. Bonfire Night is over. It's practically Christmas, right? That was my attempt to justify splashing out on a few new beauty products this month anyway because if you can't treat yourself during the festive period then when can you?

I'm a huge fan of all things smokey, bronzed and burnt when it comes to palettes during these chillier, darker months and I'm particularly loving the MUA Elysium Palette. It includes four matte and six shimmer shades ranging from a nude base shadow to a gorgeous dark shimmer purple shade.

This palette also includes a matte black which I use to smudge out my eyeliner for a super smokey look sometimes and there's also a duo eyeliner thrown in for good measure with a dark eyeliner one end and a nude highlighter the other, I've only given the highlighter a go so far and it's perfect for highlighting the inner corner of my eye.

When I was in Boots the other day I was enticed over to the Benefit counter and was instantly sold on buying the new limited edition Swarovski embellished They're Real mascara which is totally worth the extra £2 on account of how pretty this looks amongst my make-up collection. This mascara is a constant in my everyday make-up routine. I like to apply They're Real first for definition and separation of my lashes and then I whack Rimmel London's Wonder'full mascara with argan oil on top for thicker, fuller lashes.

The Hoola bronzer also ended up in my basket, after trialling the smaller sample last Christmas I really wanted a darker, more matte bronzer for contouring this party season and Hoola fitted the bill perfectly.

If you haven't discovered Makeup Revolution from Superdrug yet then you need to check this range out next time you're in store. As Makeup Revolution is a budget brand it can be a little hit & miss with certain products but I love it when I want to test drive new shades or products without spending a fortune. The Ultra Base Corrector palette caught my eye when I was in store last and with the harsh winter weather coming soon I knew I'd need some colour correction.

The palette contains eight colour correction creams to balance and correct on all complexions. If you're not familiar with colour correction then here's what each cream will do for your skin:

Pink: Brightens dull skin perfect for those months when you might not see much of the sun, read: every day in England.
Lavender: Neutralises yellow tones which can usually crop up in the under-eye area for example.
Green: Neutralises red tones in the skin, for example the green cream is perfect if you suffer from rosacea.
Orange: Neutralises blue and cooler tones in the skin.
Peach - Helps to balance out slight discolouration
White - Adds natural highlight and brightens
Cream - Neautralises purple and covers dark areas, perfect for under eye and darker patches.
Brown - Balances ashiness in medium to dark skin tones.

I suffer from dry, sensitive skin so I'm always using the green cream to neutralise the redness in my skin around my T-Zone. I always really like the lavender and pink cream to brighten up my skin when it's feeling particularly dull after not seeing the sun for hours on end!

Sticking with Makeup Revolution, they also have a new range of brushes in the 'Ultra Metals Collection'. If I'm totally honest I picked up these brushes because I'm obsessed with anything rose gold/copper at the moment and they were too good to resist! I bought the Ultra Flawless Powder Brush, the Ultra Sculpt Blush Brush and the Ultra Contour Foundation Brush although I'm not even sure if i'll get round to using them because the white brush hairs are far too clean and pretty as they are!

That's it for my current autumn/winter favourites, let me know what you're loving this season in the comments below!

OLAPLEX REVIEW: HAIR'S HOLY GRAIL

Well, Olaplex. Where do i begin?! If you've got color-damaged, dried hair then you're going to want to stick around for this one so grab yourself a cuppa and get comfy. I was heading to Leo Bancroft's Weybridge salon for a cut last weekend and knew I was in dire need of a treatment beforehand. Following a lot of salons and stylists on Instagram I was sure I'd heard of Olaplex before so when an Olaplex treatment cropped up on Leo's list of services I immediately asked my stylist Holly to book me in for a treatment before my cut.

If you haven't heard of Olaplex, let me give you the 101 on the sciencey-stuff. Most conditioners, even the expensive leave-in ones, usually just sit on top of your hair, temporarily treating damaged hair which can leave you with a silky smooth finish at first but after a few washes you're back to square one. This is wear Olaplex is different because it actually repairs and fixes the hair shaft while it colours and treats it. To give you some context, Olaplex is how Kim Kardashian went platinum from her natural dark locks in one day without going bald.

My Olaplex treatment was a two-part process and the whole process took half a hour from start to finish. The sensation was an odd one, the product is obviously a liquid but didn't feel super wet or thick like some conditioners so until I reached up and patted my hair it didnt' feel like there was any product on at all as it wasnt trickling down my neck or the side of my face which is always a bonus!

When it was rinsed out I reserved all judgement until my hair had been cut and blow-dried. When I finally ran my fingers through my previously thick, dry, damaged brittle hair I could have cried with happiness. That sounds dramatic but I've been through a few ordeals with my hair over the years and the last time I felt that silky-smooth, lightweight, freshly-cut hair feeling was probably about six or seven years ago. Since then, every blowdry has been a nightmare with hair breaking, brushes struggling to pull through the ends and stylists unable to run their fingers through my hair. It used to fall heavy, full of frizz and the ends looked frazzled.

Not now. The damage has literally been reversed and it's like I've rewound the last few years of bleach and dye, leaving my hair feeling so light and soft and genuinely healthy. I'm so excited that Olaplex is a thing and it doesn't cost a fortune either, my treatment was £30 and worth every single penny.

Olaplex can also be added to colour and bleach to minimise damage and if you YouTube Olaplex you'll find an abundance of videos showing girls with damaged hair going even lighter with little to no damage at all. It's incredible and a revolutionary product which hopefully will be rolled out to more and more salons around the UK - and the world - very soon!

Let me know either in the comments below or over on Twitter @laurenfell if you're thinking of giving Olaplex a try, I'm also happy to answer any questions you might have!

CARVELA KURT GEIGER TINK BOOTS

I'm a sucker for a mid-heel boot and I could not be happier that it's now the perfect boot weather. As soon as I saw these Carvela Kurt Geiger boots I fell in love and the fact that they were in the sale just made me fall even harder!

The 'Tink' mid block heel ankle boot is an adorable black suede-esque ankle boot with a metallic silver 3" block heel. I'm super fussy when it comes to shoes, mostly because I'm totally convinced one foot is bigger than the other, and I'm in that awkward place between a size three and four. These boots were in a size four and came up just the tiniest big on me but I only have little sockettes on, so with a proper pair of socks or tights they'll fit perfectly. They're also really comfortable to walk in and the little girl sat on the chairs in Debenhams totally gave these boots the nod of approval which was good enough for me.

These boots are currently on sale at Debenhams, down from £150 to £79!

NEW HAIRCARE HAUL

So I've reached that point with my current hair care products where I'll sit pressing down the pump on my Aussie leave-in conditioner bottle for about 20 minutes before accepting that I've 100% run out and definitely need to replace it.

Of course, when I get to Boots they're completely out of the leave-in conditioner that I usually use so I had to stand there in the aisle talking myself - yes, out loud - through the pros and cons of the two conditioners they had instead. As you can see from the picture above, arguing with myself never gets me very far so I resulted in throwing both in my basket along with a couple of other bits.

I'm in love with Aussie's leave in conditioners and although I do really like a hair mask, I appreciate being able to spritz my  hair with moisturising goodness and leaving it in because I'm a very impatient human being. I usually use the Miracle Recharge Moisture conditioner but as I said they were out of it in Boots, leaving me to decide between Take The Heat and Shine before giving up and opting for both.

I haven't given either of these a go yet but if they're anything like their Moisture counterpart then these conditioners will be lightweight, non-sticky leave-in sprays which I feel just give my hair a little more of a silky soft finish after washing. Although I use a heat-defence product alongside the Aussie conditioner, I quite liked that the Take The Heat spray also does this so I can double up on the heat defence!

The Shine leave-in conditioner just sounded really nice, I've always had quite damaged hair until recently thanks to the incredible Olaplex treatment I had recently, post on that coming this week - so it will be nice to put a shine back into my much healthier looking hair.

Another product that I've ran out of recently was my heat-defence spray, usually I use a Toni & Guy product but once again, they were sold out. I'm really not selling my local Boots right now, am I? Although, this did give me a chance to look for something new. I'm a big fan of Lee Stafford products and thought that the Poker Straight Flat Iron Protection Mist sounded like it would do the trick. You can use this product before you blow-dry and also afterwards, on dry hair, before you use straighteners.

I also picked up a large can of the DeHumidifer Liquid Umbrella, also from Lee Stafford. I used to swear by this product when I was at school/college and when I discovered serum I stopped using it, however, I'm gradually running out of Bleach London's Split Fix Serum which I am obsessed with and was going to replace until I saw this! This is a lightweight spray which controls frizz and keeps your hair looking smooth, sleek and silky. I've already given it a go this afternoon and forgot how much I loved it. This product also comes in a smaller, handbag-sized can for frizz-control on the go!

Have you tried any of these products? I'd love to know what you think of them so let me know! 

COLLECTION AT BOOTS BEAUTY HAUL

Before we head off to Center Parcs for the week, I popped into Boots today to stock up on some essentials and some not-so-essential-but-still-really-lush beauty bits!

Ever since I gave the Collection Lasting Perfection Concealer a go I've never used anything else to cover up my problem areas and under-eye area. I find nothing else conceals as well as this and I always opt for the lightest shade, 01 Fair, to give my under-eye area a lift and make it appear brighter. This concealer is also perfect for covering up those nasty zits that tend to spring up out of nowhere although I tend to find it can require a little pat from a finger-tip to really melt it into the skin for a natural finish.

Along with the concealer, I picked up another favourite of mine; Collection Lasting Perfection Ultimate Wear Powder. This product teamed with the concealer really do make the perfect power couple. After I've used the concealer I whack some of this over the top - I use a powder brush and forgo the use of the pad/sponge that comes with this powder because I have a weird thing about bacteria/germs lingering on those things - and it sets everything perfectly!

While I was in Boots I also couldn't resist picking up a few coral/red/pinkish lipsticks. I've been after some lippys with more orange tones so I grabbed these three beauts - it's just a big coincidence that all of these products are from Collection but it makes for a consistent post fo' sho!

The lovely lipsticks are in the shades 16 Paper Rose, 17 Colour Pop and 2 Pretty In Peach and they're all quite similar with only very slight differences but I'm very excited to give them a go nonetheless! They were also on offer in Boots for only £2.50 each so I couldn't resist, I'm a bit of a lipstick hoarder - there's just something about lipsticks that are so aesthetically pleasing to me I don't know why I'm a weirdo - so I'm definitely thinking of getting a few more shades in this range if they stay at this price!

There are so many fantastic offers on at Boots at the moment and all of the Christmas boxsets and offers are in store already so if you live near a store then I'd recommend popping in for a gander.

Let me know if you've tried any of these products or if you're thinking of giving them a go yourself, I'd love to know!

JEROME RUSSELL BBLONDE MAXIMUM LIGHTENING SPRAY

If there's one thing you guys should know about me it's that I am always changing my hair colour. Over the past year or so I've been various shades of blonde and ombre but now that autumn/winter weather is creeping in it's got me in the mood for something very different altogether.

Now, I knew that I didn't want to go even blonder right now - let's wait til next summer though, eh - actually, my goal wasn't to drastically change the colour of my hair but to even it out ahead of a whole new shade that I'm aiming for this season and the Maximum Lightening Spray* seemed ideal!

You use the spray after you wash your hair with a clarifying shampoo and after three applications you should see a gradual lift, even more so if heat is applied after use. Now, I can probably guess what you're thinking, yikes, a lightening product + heat = fried hair and I'm not going to lie, I spread out the three applications over a couple of weeks as the thought of frying my roots didn't appeal to me. However, I was pleasantly surprised by how soft my hair feels after using, although bear in mind I did only spritz this product closer to my roots and kept it entirely away from my ends.

I noticed a visible lift in colour after one application and this product by Jerome Russell definitely helped to even out the colour, giving me a much better base for my next colour which I'm very excited to be having done by the lovely Holly at Leo Bancroft's salon in Weybridge. I shall keep my plans under wraps until Tuesday 20th but if you follow me on Pinterest you can probably tell the gorgeous shade that I'm hoping to achieve *insert smiling devil emoji here*.

The BBlonde range is so extensive and I definitely recommend it if you're thinking of going blonde this season, however, if you're looking for something less intense then the Lightening Spray is the one to go for to enhance highlights or keep your ombre looking fresh. Team it with one of their awesome toners - either a natural shade or be daring and go for a pretty pink - for a completely finished look!

*PR sample

CURRENT BEAUTY FAVOURITES

As much as I love autumn and winter it's always a slightly trickier business when it comes to beauty. The wind, rain and cold doesn't do much for my poor hair and skin so now's a better time than any to bring a few slightly different products into my routine. These are the products I'm currently loving.

Good Things Miracle Mattifier Moisturiser, £7.99

Moisuriser is a key player in my make-up routine and I find that my foundation just doesn't last without it. This little gem from Good Things Beauty includes extracts of blackcurrent - for its' clarifying qualities -  and goji berry (so it smells hella good for one thing). What I like most about this moisturiser is that it's fast-absorbing so I don't find myself spending ages trying to rub it into my face in the mornings.

Lush Rub, Rub, Rub Shower Scrub, £8.75

Not only is this pretty pot from Lush an exoliating shower scrub but it double's up as a hair treatment; adding volume and shine to the hair. So two for the price of one! I love to use this product once or twice a week in the bath to exfoliate and really treat my skin to a gentle cleanse, however, this product can be used dry for a really good buff and I find this makes it perfect pre-spray tan!

Montagne Jeunesse (now My 7th Heaven) Dead Sea Mud Spa Clay Mask, £1.09 

I'm such a huge fan of Montagne Jeunesse, who are now known as My 7th Heaven, and I probably own more face masks that one girl needs but at just over £1 a pop it's a crime not to invest in a bunch! One of my all-time favourites though is this Dead Sea Mud Spa Clay Mask.

Each mask from My 7th Heaven boasts lots of different benefits and ingredients but as I have breakout-prone, sensitive skin there's a select few I go for again and again and this is one of them. This particular clay mask is all ready for you to use as soon as you open the sachet, no awkward squeezing out and slapping on, the pre-constructed mask just unfolds, you pat it down and you're good to go!

John Frieda Frizz Ease Miraculous Recovery Intensive Masque, £2 for 25ml 

If you dye, bleach or put heat anywhere near your hair then an intensive masque or treatment will definitely make your life a lot easier! Winter weather conditions can be harsh on your hair, making the ends brittle and dry and this treatment from John Frieda's Frizz Ease range gives my hair a little TLC when it needs it most.

Superdrug B. Makeup Brush Cleanser, £4.99

I'm hooked on the Bobbi Brown Brush Cleaning Spray but as I very recently ran out of the stuff I gave this (much cheaper) version a go and I think it's great for a temporary fix! The cleanser comes in an easy-to-use pump bottle and I've found it works a treat in between washing my brushes properly.

Let me know what beauty products you're loving at the moment in the comments below or tweet me @laurenfell!

BOOKSHELF: THE GIRL ON THE TRAIN BY PAULA HAWKINS

A love of crime/thriller novels is one I think I've inherited from my mum, after first borrowing her James Patterson books I discovered a love for all things gruesome and grisly (I know, how weird does that make me sound) so when I first heard about this book I was dying to read it. This post won't contain any spoilers. Zero, zilch, nil!

The Girl On The Train* is told through the perspective of three different women; Rachel, Anna and Megan. Rachel is ultimately the girl on the train. She makes the same two journeys each day in and out of London and in the morning her train stops, like clockwork, at the same signal. From the train she can see into the lives of a couple that live in a house that backs onto the train tracks.

She names them; 'Jason' and 'Jess' and day in, day out she watches them, making guesses about their lives and relationship until one day the train stops at the signal and Rachel sees something that changes everything and she finally has a chance to become more than just the girl on the train.

The story is gripping, with insane amounts of twists and turns, some slightly predictable and if I am completely honest - which I always aim to be when writing my bookshelf reviews - the ending for me was less of a surprise and more of a confirmation of suspicions I'd had throughout. That's okay though, as it's not always necessary to be kept entirely in the dark where crime and thrillers are concerned, you'll want to keep reading regardless to find out if your theories are proved right in the end.

I quite enjoyed the fact that I found Rachel a difficult lead character to like, she had traits that I'm sure most women can relate to on some level but at times I was frustrated with her and I've rarely felt like that about a protagonist in a novel before.

It's tricky for me to talk about The Girl On The Train without spoiling aspects of the plot but I would 100% recommend this novel if you're a fan of twisting and turning mysteries and thrillers. This book isn't as gruesome or grisly as some others I've read, like YOU by Caroline Kepnes, but it's gripping nonetheless with a lot more insight into the emotional damage left behind by betrayal and broken relationships which is the recurring theme throughout.

Let me know if you've read The Girl On The Train, I'd love to hear your thoughts!

*This book was sent to me for review by Transworld Publications.

MY WEEK IN PICTURES: MOVIE PREMIERE, HAIR DYE & HELLA GOOD CHEESECAKE

I'm sitting on my bed in an oversized Wildfox sweater and tracksuit bottoms, watching a terrible Adam Sandler movie feeling sorry for myself because my sinuses are swelling up and causing me major face ache. SO, I thought, hey, why not reminisce on happier times like last week when I was eating heavenly cheesecake?!

The Best Cheesecake In The World  (So Far)
Okay, I say 'so far' because I'm waiting to try something at The Cheesecake Factory when I go back to Florida next year BUT for now, this is The Best Cheesecake In The World. It's the new Chocolate Hazelnut Cheesecake from Prezzo, where I've been twice in the last two weeks just so I can sample this delight. I'm actually salivating now just thinking about it which isn't great because I'm sure all we have in the cupboards is maybe a Kit Kat or a chocolate digestive.

Dinner With Old Friends
I was super lucky when I finished my foundation diploma but didn't want to go to University, I ended up temping at a company where I ultimately stayed for over two years. There I met some of the loveliest people I've ever come across and the other week a few of us met up at Las Iguanas for dinner and drinks. It was a lovely evening and man the food at that place is so good, I do love me a sizzlin' fajita.

Scorch Trials Premiere
I've fangirled over this movie so hard on Twitter over the last week or so that I'm sure you're well aware of this BUT if you didn't know, I was lucky to attend the UK premiere in Leicester Square, London last Monday for The Maze Runner: The Scorch Trials. This is a photograph from our seats of the lovely Ki Hong Lee, Kaya Scodelario, Thomas Brodie-Sangster, Wes Ball and Jim Chapman when they answered some fan questions before the movie.

Lush Tea Tree Water
This is my holy grail right now! I wrote a whole post about this last week because I abso-freaking-lutely love the stuff. A quick spritz of this toner water in the morning when I wake up and before bed makes my skin feel really clean because of all the anti-bacterial shiz that's in this product.

My Hair Dye Collection
I didn't actually realise I owned this much hair dye until I got round to sorting out one set of my Alex drawers at the weekend. It's obviously ridiculous as no one person can use all of that much product at one time - especially seeing as there's a good old mixture of platinum blonde, honey blonde, ash blonde, golden brown, dark brown etc in there but I think I like to have the options and they kinda look pretty in there don't they?! Okay I'm just trying to justify my hair-dye-hoarder tendencies...

Makeup Revolution Palette in 'Flawless'
I posted all about this awesome product yesterday and seeing as the packaging is so darn pretty I thought it was Instagram-worthy! This is a 32-shadow palette from Makeup Revolution and is sold in Superdrug for only £8 - I can't get over the price and as it's nearing the end of the month I am living in Bargain Town right now.

Follow me @laurenefell on Instagram for more!

MAKEUP REVOLUTION ULTRA EYESHADOWS IN 'FLAWLESS'

If you're not familiar with Makeup Revolution then they're a budget makeup brand sold by Superdrug for extremely good prices, starting as low as just £1. Now, don't get me wrong, I love NARS, MAC and also loads of high-street brands like Rimmel and Maybelline but sometimes if I'm feeling experimental and want to try new shades that I'm unsure about, then I don't always want to splash out on products.

The Flawless palette consists of 32 matte and shimmer eyeshadows in beautiful shades, perfect for fall and winter. The colours are extremely well-pigmented which means that you get fantastic value for money - even for £8, it's always good to know you're not going to need to spend another £8 on the same product in the space of a month or two. I'm also in love with how sleek the packaging is. I'm a sucker for less-is-more when it comes to product packaging, especially palettes, and I even love the rose-gold foil box so much I tend to keep the palette in there when storing it.

The palette boasts shades such as Paper; a light nude shade, perfect for a base colour, Raw; a matte neutral shadow and Darkest Shimmer; a burnt orange hue great for defining your outer lid and crease. These three shades also happen to be fantastic dupes for the three MAC shadows I purchased earlier this year so if I'm looking to recreate that warm smoky-eye on the regular then I'll use my Revolution palette, saving my MAC shadows for special occasions.

Now, Makeup Revolution have released the all-new 'Beyond Flawless' palette, featuring 32 new shades in much more neutral tones. If you'd be interested in seeing a post on this palette then let me know in the comments below.

MakeUp Revolution Flawless Palette costs £8 and is sold in Superdrug, you can also purchase online at Makeup Revolution's website.

BEAUTY CROWD PRO MILANI BOX

I've only been a member of Beauty Crowd Pro for a short while but so far, I'm super impressed! If you're not familiar with Beauty Crowd Pro, it's an exclusive online community and marketplace for bloggers and vloggers. There's a forum for members to discuss their favourite products, an online shop with exclusive deals and also an area where you can apply to collaborate with brands.

One of the latest promotions that Beauty Crowd Pro offered was a box filled with full-sized Milani products called the Milani Pro Collection Box. Beauty Crowd Pro were selling this amazing collection for only £15 and although there were limited numbers - and it's now sadly sold out - I was lucky enough to get my hands on a box!

The Milani Pro Collection Box contained six full-size products; Color Statement Moisture Matte Lipstick in '67 Matte Confident' $5.99, Rose Powder Blush in '01 Romantic Rose' $7.99, Runway Eyeshadow Palette (sadly my palette broke in transit so I wasn't able to photograph it for this post), Runway Eyeshadow Single in '03 Bronze Doll', Bella Eyes Gel Powder Eyeshadow in '06 Bella Espresso' $4.49 and an Anti Feathering Lip Liner in '01 Transparent' $4.99.

Prices above are in dollars as Milani isn't actually stocked in the UK yet - another reason why this offer from Beauty Crowd Pro was so exciting! I haven't given these products a go yet but I'm very excited to try them all out, they're all in perfectly wearable shades - no crazy colours or anything that's not seasonal. If you're a blogger or vlogger then I recommend heading over to Beauty Crowd Pro to take a look and if you're not a blogger then there's BeautyCrowd.com which features a lot of amazing deals and offers so you don't miss out!