The Pastel Trend

Hi Guys,

It's getting closer and closer to Spring and Spring usually means pastels. They've been extremely popular these past few seasons, not only for spring. However there was a lot of pastels on the SS15 catwalks from Matthew Williamson, Vera Wang and Derek Lam, especially in purple too.

Pastel Makeup however can be very tricky and quite daunting, so Ive picked up a few of my favourite products for lips, nails, eyes and cheeks. Ranging from high end to drugstore, to show some of the easiest ways to wear this pastel trend.

With brands such as Lime Crime who are increasing in popularity very quickly, they do amazing shades of lipstick in pastel shades. As they've been so popular for them, more and more companies seem to be joining the band wagon of offering more than just your typical shades. Its quick to do and really fun too.

MUA Matte Lipstick in Lilac Belle - £1 HERE

This has to be one of the safest products to experiment with in terms of price. It may look quite scary in the tube, but on, its a beautiful creamy Lilac, just like it says on the tin! (Or tube...) Its a fun little extra that won't break the bank and lets you try out the pastel lip trend. It is really nice on though as its got quite a waxy formula so it doesn't dry out the lips too much either.

MAC Lipstick in Creme Cup - £15.50 HERE

If you want to have a little bit of a splurge, MAC Creme Cup, is a lovely creamy baby pink. Even though it doesn't really look it in the tube, Its not an in your face shade and can be used every single day as a really subtle every day lipstick. Its a creme sheen formula, which basically means its a cream, which is comfortable to wear. But you will need to reapply it a little bit more than a matte. 

Ok I must admit, Ive already cheated when it comes to a drugstore and high end option, sorry! I dont have any drugstore products in pastel shades and actually thinking about it, I cant think of many that actually exist that aren't just baby pink. I do find though that both of these products are very good value for money.

Sugarpill Sparkle Baby Palette - £24.99 HERE

This palette is so versatile! It may look a bit daunting, but its great, amazingly pigmented! The shades give you so many options and so many colour combinations. Kitten Parade looks great over the lid with Hotsy Totsy on the outer corner. Instead of Kitten Parade you could also use Frostine too. Ive been using Candy Crush as a inner corner highlight and it really picks up the light and brightens. The only shade that isn't very shimmery is Hotsy Totsy, the rest do contain a lot of shimmer. Both Hotsy Totsy and Kitten Parade make beautiful blushers, Kitten Parade also doubles up as a highlight too.

Illamasqua Powder Shadow in CanCan - £15.50 HERE

Illamasqua offers a range of pastel shadow shades, CanCan is by far my favourite, the more you buff it out the lighter it is and more pastel lilac in shade. But if you build it up, which is extremely easy to do as they are fantastically pigmented, you can make it a lot brighter. It's definitely a shade that I recommend for anyone with blue eyes especially as it really enhances them too.

Unlike the rest of my drugstore and high end bits and pieces, these are more like dupes rather than different products. Pastels on the cheek are probably the most easiest of ways to actually wear the trend on your face, as baby pinks are very popular blush shades.

ELF Blusher in Shy - £2.50 HERE
Shy is a slightly purpled toned pink, however it can look quite rosy. Its not got a shimmer in it, which a lot of the ELF blushers have. Its chalky in texture, which it is really pigmented, but on the downside it can have a bit of fall down too. They have changed their packaging, it now includes a brush.

Nars Blusher in Sex Fantasy - £22.50 HERE 
My blusher is actually in the Virtual Domination palette, but fear not, its not a limited edition shade and you can buy it on its own! Its a pastel pink, with quite the lilac undertone too it. Its a very cool shade because of this, but its subtle and looks really lovely on the skin. Plus Nars blushers may actually be some of the most raved about blushers ever!This one is not as chalky as the ELF one and very pigmented, it also lasts a lot longer on the skin too.

Pastel lips and eyes aren't something that you maybe wouldn't sport everyday as it may be really stepping out of your comfort zone. So nails are actually one of the easiest ways to sport the trend without feeling uncomfortable!

Illamasqua Polish in Scarce - £14.50 HERE
It may not be Easter just yet, but its creeping in! (Wishful thinking on my part for the chocolate...) I've been getting into the spirit though with the Illamasqua Polish in Scarce. Its a unique polish with its black speckles running through the beautiful powdered baby pink. Its the perfect Spring time combination and no nail looks the same, totally unique!

Barry M Textured Nail Effect in Ridley Road - £3.99 HERE 
My drugstore option had to be mint! As well as being Barry M, as for their price they are fantastic in quality and also shade selection. The polish Ive picked is from their Textured Nail Effect range in the shade Ridley Road. Again its another slightly different polish rather than your usual creamy selection, it's almost like sand on the nails.

(Swatches - Left to Right: Sex Fantasy, Shy, Creme Cup, Lilac Belle, Kitten Parade, Frostine, Candy Crush, Hotsy Totsy and CanCan)

I'd really love to find more pastel make up pieces as I think its a trend that may be around for a while.  So let me know if you've found any pieces I need to get my hands on! I hope this has also helped to give out a few ideas on how to rock the pastel trend!

Eloise x

A Very Lush Mothers Day

Hi Guys,

Now that Valentine's Day is over with, Lush have brought out their Mother's Day Range! This range is actually usually quite a small one, this year though Lush have upped their game and there is so many newbies to the collection!

I actually picked up one of the Mothers Day Gift Sets, aptly named Mother's Day, as my bathroom is always filled with loose Lush bits. So the tin is actually perfect to keep in the bathroom just to keep all the bits nice and fresh, you can have a look at it HERE. However it doesn't include the Yummy Mummy Shower Gel and Mother Superior Bubble Bar.

Mother Superior Bubble Bar - £3.75 HERE

This is a big Bubble Bar and you could easily get 4 baths out of it. Like a lot of this range, its very floral, it does contain lemon too though, so there is a little bit of citrus. It actually shares its scent with Sakura. It will also turn your bath blue. A lot of people have said its like a character from Adventure Time too, but is actually based on being a nun.

UltraViolet Bubble Bar - £4.75 HERE

Just like Mother Superior, this is huge! Again you can get at least 5 baths from it. I love the fact that its a violet scent as I have a soft spot for violet. Its another really floral product, it also contains jasmine. Its fresh and turns your bath a lovely shade of purple and also includes glitter, which you don't get covered in, it reminds me of a rainbow almost. 

Yummy Mummy Shower Gel - £4.75 HERE

I have never seen a Shower Gel from Lush like this one, its literally like a liquid lilac in shade. Its lovely and bright. It could almost be mistaken as a violet based smell, however its actually fruity and has the same scent as the Strawberry Feels Forever Massage Bar. Strangely though I love the Massage Bar, but I just cant seem to love this Shower Gel, I think its an enquired smell. My mum on the other hand, loves the smell of it. 

Rose Bombshell Bath Ballistic - £3.50 HERE

If you've read a few of my past Lush posts or ever heard me in Lush, then you may know how obsessed I am with the Rose Jam scent. It kills me a little inside when its discontinued for another year after Christmas. So when I heard there was a Rose Bath Ballistic... Its actually a really big Bath Ballistic, Rose products can usually be quite expensive, but for the size its a great price. Its lovely and soft on the skin and also has rose petals inside, its a very relaxing bath.

Rose Bubble Bar - £2.95 HERE

I was so excited when I heard this was back, it was part of the Mothers Day Range last year. Although its one of the cheaper products in the range, it is a lot smaller. You may be able to get about 3 baths from it, which I don't really mind as it is so cute. The design is actually based on Beauty and the Beast.

Secret Garden Bath Ballistic - £2.95 HERE

Another one from last years range and actually another favourite of mine, so its always  nice when they bring them back. Just like Rose it is very small compared to your usual Lush Bath Ballistic. Rose in scent and goes lovely with the Rose Bubble Bar to give you a very rosy forest green bath.

Sakura Bath Ballistic - £3.35 HERE

This was a part of the Mother's Day Gift Set and is actually a permanent addition to the Lush range. If you liked the Floating Flower from the Valentines Range, this shares its scent with it. Its an uplifting scent, with Japanese cherry blossom. 

If I was only allowed to recommend three products from this range, which is extremely difficult, I think I would have to choose Rose Bombshell Bath Ballistic, Rose Bubble Bar and Secret Garden Bath Ballistic. I really do have a rose obsession... 

Eloise x

My Illamasqua Polish Collection

Hi Guys,

Im known to talk about Illamasqua a lot... So it seemed only right to start what may become a little series! (Let me know if you enjoy this one) On my Nail Polish Collection and favourite brands too. I used to do my nails quite a lot, but then after doing beauty therapy I fell out of the habit of doing my usual nail art, as you're not allowed any polish on at all! So Im getting them all back out and hopefully getting back into the swing of things.

Starting with one of my favourite brands for Nail Polish, Illamasqua!

Ive also found that not many people talk about the Illamasqua Polishes and I think they definitely need their recognition! This post is also meant in no form of bragging, I just thought it would be fun to tell you a bit about them. Plus I know I love having a nosey through a nail polish collection too!

I also apologise for the very cheesy subtitles you are about to read and the picture heavy post!

The Cream of the Crop:
Jan - Pinky Lilac: I was obsessed with this shade and found a way to use it in every single nail art design I did, Its just such a pretty colour, perfect for spring. Its sister is probably the very popular shade in Jo'Mina.

Load - Off White Cream: This is probably the streakiest polish Ive tried from Illamasqua, but I can forgive that as the rest of them I have no problem with. I think its down to how pale the polish is, it's just a little difficult to get it right.

Nomad - Bright Mint Green: I have to admit, I bought this shade after seeing Tanya Burr talk about it and on a few of her Instagram posts. Its amazing for the summer, Im not a huge green fan that isn't mint (I say while having three other green shades!). But this one is easy to fall in love with.

Caress - Baby Sky Blue: I love how this shade is another off white shade, its washed out, really simple and just makes it really easy to wear. Its a shade, I just like to fall back on when I need something pretty quick!

Nudge - Pastel Mint: For me, Mint shades can do no wrong, Nudge included. However it is really similar to Caress and I have to admit I do get them mixed up sometimes... It definitely leans more on the blue side of things than the green.

Blow - Pastel Lemon: Yellow is always a difficult colour to wear, especially as I am quite pale, it can look rather odd. As well as sometimes looking like you've just stained your nails. Blow though is such a lovely creamy shade, its just the perfect pastel that isn't too much.

The Shimmer Shades:

Bacterium - Pearlescent Biege: Its a duo chrome polish and has many looks to it, It can go from an iridescent pink, to a taupe then even green toned!

Melange - Teal with a Golden Shimmer: This is the only matte in my collection from Illamasqua and may actually be my favourite. The difference between the matte base shade, with the golden shimmer running through it is extremely pretty in the light and really gives it a uniqueness. Ive never seen a polish like it on the market.

Snap - Metallic Gun Metal: This is the only Metallic out of all the Illamasqua polishes I own, they don't really do many, especially nowadays. It doesn't have a glossy finish, but its also not matte. Its just very shimmery.

Charisma - Dark Pink Raspberry: This is the perfect Christmas shade, I did get it after Christmas, so its not been used to its full Christmas potential. If only it wasn't getting into spring!

Radium - Almost Neon Lime: The newest little guy and one I cant believe I didn't buy sooner, it has a really subtle blue shimmer running through it, which is extremely pretty as it catches the light. 

The Textured Team:
Raindrops - Pale Grey with a Silver Glitter: The sheerest of the bunch, Its actually designed by a fan after Illamasqua held a contest and this won. It got to the point where it was extremely difficult to get your mitts on as it was always sold out! Its so unique with its different sized chunks of silver glitter.

Trilliant - A Pink/Champagne shade: The best wayto describe this polish finish is as a sand effect polish, which were very popular last year. Its made up of very fine glitter and slightly chunkier pieces to create a really textured almost rough finish to the polish. It sparkles amazingly in the light! It also looks fantastic with a clear gloss over the top too.

Pink Raindrops - Baby Pink with White Sparkle: Due to the Success of its not so identical twin, Raindrops. Pink Raindrops was born, It has more shimmer than glitter and is a little easier to apply. But you kinda cant help but love them both!

Mottle - Black Speckled Mint Green: Inspired by Mini Eggs and actually If I stare at it for too long I kinda feel like I want Mini Eggs. Again its in my favourite Mint Green, but it does also come in four other shades and applies smoothly to the nail.

The Neon Nails:
Collide - Hot Pink: This was my first ever Illamasqua Polish that I received in a goodie box, they did years ago. I was also going through my Fuchsia Pink as bright as you can get it faze, so this was perfect!

Gamma - Orange: Im not a massive orange person, I also got this in my goodie box. But as much as I don't like to wear it on my nails as much, its fantastic in the summer on your toes!

(Swatches: Left to Right - Collide, Gamma, Jan, Bacterium, Load, Pink Raindrops, Trilliant and Nomad)

(Swatches: Left to Right - Caress, Nudge, Blow, Melange, Snap, Raindrops, Mottle, Charisma and Radium)

All the swatches are just two coats, as thats usually all I need. I always forget to use a topcoat too, but these polishes last for 4-5 days before even slightly starting to chip and thats without a topcoat! I have my eye on a couple more shades, I just cant help it they're like little bottles of goodness!! They may be pricey compared to the high street polishes, but in my eyes they're worth it, I cant recommend these unsung heroes enough.

You can get most of the shades I've featured HERE, minus my beloved Jan, Snap, Caress, Nudge and Blow as they've sadly been discontinued, noo!

Eloise x

Love Tanya

Hi Guys,

I thought I'd give Love Tanya, Tanya Burr's new book a review. Which is a little different for me, so I hope you enjoy. But as you may know from a couple of previous posts, Ive been following Tanya for quite some time now and I couldn't not read her new release! 

I know theres a lot of controversy over Youtubers and books recently, but personally I've been loving the ones I have read so far. Love Tanya is no exception and its been a pleasure to read.

I have been watching Tanya for five years now and so I was very excited to hear about her book, which is such a mixture of different things and gives quite an insight into things that Tanya hasn't shared before. From more personal things to great tips and really yummy recipes too!

The book is split into twelve chapters which cover Tanya's childhood, her top tips for Beauty, Hair, Skincare and Fashion. Which are really helpful, they give basic tips to Tanya's favourite pieces too. There is also little tutorials on a few hair looks, which are really simple but look lovely and for someone like me who really hates styling their own hair, these are fantastic.

The book also has little sections in each chapter either that peek into Tanya's top tens on tips, memories and favourites. But really helpful when it comes to product recommendations. It also has little sections where you can write down your top tens or little notes, each not section has a little question, encouraging you to join in with the book.

One of my favourite chapters however has to be the baking chapter, packed full with chocolate! Thank you Tanya!

I actually made her star sprinkled cupcakes, which were really simple to make but delicious to eat! Ive been eyeing up the Sunday Cake recipe too because well it looks amazing and its covered in chocolate! Chocoholic over here!!

As well as the fun chapters, there is a number of more serious chapters. Tanya covers her issues with dealing with anxiety, which are actually quite comforting to read if you suffer from it and Tanya doesn't usually go into much detail about this part of her life on her Youtube channel. But the book also covers Youtube its self and what she's experienced from it and what else she would like to experience in the future. It was also really lovely to read the chapter about her and Jim and what Tanya has planned for them together in the future.

This book overall has been a really easy read, but very informative. Its such a mixture of different aspects which makes it really different to what I've read before. The photography that is also in the book is beautiful and I'd personally buy it just to stare at the pretty pictures all day haha! Im looking forward to now moving on to reading Fleur De Forces Glam Guide now!

You can get Love Tanya HERE. (Which is also currently discounted!)

Eloise x