With chapped lips and hands being the bane of so many peoples lives this winter Burt's Bees is probably one of the most helpful and useful gifts out there, so team that with smelling and tasting super good and you've got the ultimate stocking filler or Secret Santa gift. Here's a round up of my favourites from their winter range.

A Bit of Burt's Bees in Coconut & Pear, £5.99

This little beauty is a double-whammy, not only do you get one of Burt's gorgeous Coconut & Pear (omg yum) lip balm but you also get a mini tin of Lemon Butter Cuticle Cream to keep your fingers and nails looking tip top in the harsh weather. I've never been one for looking after my hands which is kind of silly of me I suppose as I also never wear gloves when I'm out in the cold, so my fingernails are going to be grateful for some much needed TLC this winter.

Beeswax Bounty, £12.99

If you're undecisive, like moi or perhaps you're not sure which flavour your mum or best mate will like the most then you can go no wrong with the Beeswax Bounty collection. This adorable looking gift set contains four scrummy flavours; classic Beeswax, Pomegranate, Mango & my personal fave Vanilla Bean. These are my go-to when it comes to lip products, I'm super lazy with my makeup when I go to work or the gym and most of the time I just use some CC cream and then one of these bad boys for some light coverage and most importantly some much needed moisture.

Endless Shine Trio, £9.99

As I just mentioned, I love Burt's classic lip balms for work or the gym but when it comes to a slightly more fancy occasion like dinner or drinks with friends then I opt for one of these beauties. Not only do they come in 3 gorgeous, natural shades but they also contain Apricot Wax and Sunflower Seed Oil to keep your lips moisturized and silky smooth which you know, is kind of what Burt does best!

Nature's Kiss, £9.99

This product is probably my absolute fave out of them all. This duo has you covered from all angles as it contains a gorgeous lip crayon in shade 'Sedona Sands' which gives the most gorgeous full-coverage matte colour plus a Lip Shimmer stick in 'Peony'. The lip crayons, of course, have their fair share of goodness, containing Shea butter and jojoba oil to add moisture without being too heavy. I love to mix and match this product with the Endless Shine Trio, using the lip crayon as a base and then pairing a Shine Trio gloss over it for the perfect finish.

*This post contains PR samples.

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!

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!

NARS LAGUNA & LUSTER

So I'm late on this particular bandwagon, I know, but last weekend I purchased the NARS Laguna bronzer. I've heard so much about this product and I know it's the 'holy grail' of bronzers for a lot of beauty bloggers and YouTubers out there.

The packaging is standard NARS, slightly larger than the blush packaging and still with that super sleek black casing - which, is it just me, or does it seem to attract smudges and smears?! The product itself is beautifully matte and can look a little scarily dark at first glance but I held back reservations until I'd given it a go.

I loved how well pigmented this bronzer is, it gives my skin a sunkissed, healthy glow with only the slightest hint of a shimmer. It can be difficult with some bronzers to avoid that awkward orange undertone but with Laguna there's nothing of the sort. Due to it's matte nature, this product is perfect for contouring and I use it with my Real Techniques Sculpting Brush for a really defined contour. Laguna blends out really flawlessly too so you're not left with harsh lines.

This bronzer does come in a little on the pricey side at £27.50 but in my opinion it's absolutely worth it.

When I picked up Laguna, I also bought NARS blush in the shade 'Luster'. I own a lot of pink blushes and decided that now fall and winter is practically here, it was time to invest in something a little warmer so I went for the beautiful, peach tones of Luster.

Luster has a really soft, smooth texture and just like all other NARS products is super well-pigmented so I find that I don't need to use a lot of it at all to get a really pretty warm glow. Personally, this shade is just right for my skin-tone but I am not sure how it would look on someone who is quite fair or pale as the blush does carry a lot of orange-undertones but like I said before, you don't need to use a lot to get a well-pigmented shade so just use a lighter hand if you do happen to be blessed with paler skin.

I'm incredibly happy with these two NARS purchases and they've become staple products in my everyday make-up routine, if you'd like to see me use these for a fall/winter look then leave a comment below.

Boots 'Drugstore' Haul

As soon as payday comes around, so does an obligatory Boots haul. Mainly to replenish those necessary empties but also to take a good old look around and see what's new!

I already own a couple of the brushes in this Real Techniques Foundation/Base Core Collection, £21.99 set but I thought it would be nice to a) have duplicates for the brushes I already have, in case one set needs cleaning super urgently I can switch them out, and b) use a couple of brushes that I've never tried before, like the smaller detailing brush and the contouring brush.

These Yes To Cucumbers Soothing Facial Wipes, £2.65 have been on my shopping list for a long time and they were on offer today in Boots so it seemed like the perfect time. I have skin which is super-sensitive to harsh facial wipes and I usually always go for a wipe that includes cucumber as it's such a soothing ingredient. These wipes include not only cucumber but also aloe vera; the dream team!

This trio of beauty products includes one that I love, the Collection Lasting Perfection Concealer, £4.19 and also a couple of new buys. I have very dry skin so I've always been wary of powders as I don't want to invite any cakey-ness onto my face where it's not welcome, this Rimmel Stay Matte Powder, £1.99 looked super-lightweight and I'm excited to give it a try.

I also really liked the look of Maybelline's Dream Bronze BB cream, £6.99. As the weather gets warmer, I like to wear less and less in the form of foundation so this bronzed BB cream fitted the bill perfectly. It also contains SPF 25 which is a huge bonus, I'll let you know how I get on with this BB during the week.



The new nude lipstick collection from Kate Moss for Rimmel, £5.49 have been all over the blogosphere lately so when I spied them in Boots today I just couldn't resist choosing a shade to take home. I opted for shade 45 which is a beautiful brown-based nude with a hint of pink (so don't worry, it won't look like you've got foundation on your lips). I'll be reviewing this product in full very soon so keep an eye out for that post.



Finally, I picked up this John Frieda Frizz Ease Secret Agent Touch-Up Creme, £4.00. I've been using Bleach London's Split Fix Serum to control my flyaways and to smooth out my ends for a long time now but as they were out of that in the store today I took the opportunity to look for something new to try out. I found this product and it looked like it would do the trick.



Full reviews for these products will be on the way once I've given them go so make sure you're following me on Bloglovin or Twitter for all of the updates.

 

Sydney Sierota Bronzed Smoky Eye Makeup Tutorial

Echosmith singer Sydney Sierota absolutely nails the bronze smoky eye and she's even said herself that it's her favourite look to wear both on and off stage, so recreating it using Sydney's favourite products was a no-brainer.

The three MAC eyeshadows I used in this tutorial are the same three that Sydney uses to create her bronzed eye look but if you don't want to splash out then I would definitely use a Naked palette or any nudes/bronze palette to recreate this look. Let's get on with the tutorial.



Firstly, apply an eyeshadow primer all over your lids to ensure your shadow stays put all day - or night!



Next, I use a Real Techniques Base Shadow Brush to cover my eyelid with MAC Brule



I then used the same Real Techniques brush to sweep MAC Wedge over the outer 3/4 of my eyelid, leaving my inner corner light and bright to open up the eye.



Then, I used a Real Techniques Duo Fibre Eye Brush to darken the crease and very outer corners of my eye with MAC Antiqued. Using a fluffy brush by Smashbox I blended all three shades together to remove any harsh lines.



Finally, I lined my top and bottom lashes with Bourjois Paris' Contour Clubbing Waterproof Eyeliner in shade 57 Up and Brown. I then finished by applying Rimmel London's Wonder'Full Mascara to both my top and bottom lashes.

Let me know what you think of this look, is it something you'll be giving a go?

 

June Favourites

June has all round been a pretty great month for me, it started off a bit rocky and I struggled with some bad bouts of anxiety but I also went on an incredible week long holiday to Mallorca with my best friend which was full of sunshine, cocktails and very yummy food! As the month comes to an end it's time for me to share my June favourites with you all!

MAC and NARS Haul

A day out in London this weekend resulted in me spending the best part of my afternoon in Selfridges, going all heart-eye-emoji in the beauty department. I've had these four items on my shopping list for a long time now - mainly for one very good reason that I will share in just a moment - and I thought it was the perfect time to treat myself!