My Autumn Berry Edit

Hi Guys,

It's officially Autumn and I have been desperate to get out the darker colours and berry shades for quite a while now. I really want to get into using other products this year other than just relying on my usual Rimmel Kate Moss 107.

Since last Autumn I've been drawn to picking up lots of darker shades of lipstick and branching out into berry tones for cheeks and eyes too. I have fallen into such a nude lip rut recently, that although I love it, I want colour! So I've put together the products I want to get lots of use out of this Autumn.

Starting with the Nars Audacious Lipstick in Ingrid, which I fell in love with ever since I saw Tanya Burr wearing it on her Instagram. However I think a lot of people fell in love with it too as it was a nightmare to find! I love the formulation of this lipstick, especially compared with the original Nars lipsticks, which I found a little on the drying side. The Audacious ones are beautifully creamy and amazingly pigmented, Ingrid is a really deep burgundy wine shade, perfect for Autumn. Plus the packaging for these is magnetic, which just adds to that bit of luxury!

A shade I have heard so much about and had to grab as soon as I spotted it at IMATS was the OCC Lip Tar in Black Dahlia. Another shade which doesn't like to be found too easily, but once you've got your hands on it, its completely worth it. Firstly the amount of product you actually need is such a tiny pea size amount, which means they seem to last forever! They've actually recently repackaged these to have a dofut applicator, also making it easier to apply. Black Dahlia is an intense matte blackened red, which I hardly ever have to reapply, it lasts phenomenally well on the lips. However it will start to get slightly drying just down to the matte finish. 

My last pick for the lips is the Tanya Burr Cosmetics Lip Gloss in Berry Picking's. Which couldn't be anymore polar opposite to the last two, although it does pack a colour, due to it being a gloss its lovely and sheer. Perfect for those days that I don't want a full on colour, I also really like these glosses due to their moisturising formulation and the fact I can still go outside in the wind and not have all my hair stuck to it. It's such an almost vinyl texture and in no way sticky, plus I cant really argue with the watermelon scent. 

The newest edition to my stash is the Nars Blusher in Sin, which I was extremely lucky to win from the lovely Karis at Beauty By Karis, which if you haven't already taken a peek at her blog you should! Sin has been on the wishlist for a while, theres something about the plummy berry shade with the gold glitter, which screams Autumn. As like with all Nars Blushers it's got such a great pigment and blends beautifully on the skin. I am definitely very excited to get really stuck into using this one!

I don't really own many berry shadows, probably because specifically the MAC Eye Shadow in Cranberry, has been sat very sorry for itself in my MAC Palette. I have set myself a challenge to get more use out of this one this year. As when paired with the right shadows it can create such a gorgeous eye look, especially if it's in the form of MAC Club.

I actually bought the Illamasqua Pure Pigment in Berber, specifically for a shoot I did over the summer. It's not exactly a product that I first looked at and thought of hundreds of ideas of what to do with it. As it is a lot redder in tone compared to other berry shadow shades, however it is so pretty with the golden shimmer that runs through it. When paired with a gold, you can get such a festive eye look from this. Plus you can really use it for anything, mix it up with a Sealing Gel to create an eyeliner or even as a liquid lipstick. Although it might be the scariest product out of them all, it's such a fantastic one to have.

(Swatches: Left to Right - Sin, Berber, Cranberry, Ingrid, Black Dahlia & Berry Picking's)

I almost feel like Im shopping my stash without the commitment of that specific idea. Though I couldn't be anymore excited to get into wearing these and MAC Cranberry will not be sitting alone by itself for much longer!

Eloise x

Topshop Makeup

Hi Guys,

I've noticed that Topshop Makeup in a way is a little unknown. Although it is popular, it can sometimes be tricky to know what to pick from the collection, so its sometimes left behind. For me it's gotten to the point now that whenever I have a trip to Topshop, I cant help but pick something new up. It doesn't really help that they fill up all the little baskets on the way to the till though...

Topshop has quite a few cult products and equally some great little gems. Unfortunately I was going to add a couple of other bits to this, but Topshop don't do them anymore, however I'm really hoping they bring them back! (If you ever find an eye shadow stick, grab it!) I've also tried to link to each individual shade, however the Topshop website doesn't stock everything it does in store sadly! 

One of the most popular ranges from Topshop is their Powder Blusher's, they're quite dry in texture but not chalky. The pigmentation from them is actually pretty fantastic for the price too. I  have the shade Let Her Go, which is one of the brightest of the bunch. But they do come in a variety of finishes, with some including a slight shimmer. I find they also last nicely on the skin and you can really vary how much you apply.

Possibly my favourite product from the entire collection is the Freckle Pencil in Forever Young. Although this won't be to everyone's taste and its not really something everyone does in the morning when they do their makeup. But this gives such realistic freckles, I've used it a few times for shoots and it melts into the skin so easily. It has two separate brown and almost grey shades marbled through it to give it a more natural look.

The two products that give the Freckle Pencil a run for its money, in my list of favourites are the Chameleon Glow Shadows in Wax + Wane and Shuffle the Cards. These two duo chrome shadows are really versatile, use them as a shadow alone or over the top of other shadows. You can even use Shuffle the Cards, a gold with a pink duo chrome, as a highlighter too. Wax + Wane also looks great over a brown shadow, as it really brings out the purple duo chrome. 

Topshop Nail Polishes are very well known and rightly so, they do some of the prettiest shades and offer so many different effects and finishes. I love their pastel colours with the shades Parma Violet, Chiffon and Boy Next Door being some of my favourites. But they also do some fantastic glitters, which you can usually get at Christmas time in baubles. As well as mattes and metallics too, the wear  time of these is fantastic, I find they last around three days before chipping, which is pretty amazing for me. You also don't need many coats at all, with most shades being opaque after only two! 

Lastly maybe the most famous part of the range are the Topshop Lipsticks, they are rumoured to be made with MAC. They do have some pretty great MAC dupes in the collection though, I personally love the colours Brighton Rock, Innocent and Beguiled. They do a wide range of shades and finishes, including metallic lipsticks, which aren't as scary as they sound. They're again well pigmented, yet not drying on the lips, however the scent may be a bit of a marmite one. However it doesn't last too long to be too much of a bother.

(Swatches: Left to Right - Beguiled, Brighton Rock, Innocent, Wax + Wane,  Shuffle the Cards, Let Her Go and Forever Young.)

If I could only ever have two products from the entire Topshop line, although it wouldn't be my ideal situation as I'm already planning what else to add haha! I would have to pick Shuffle the Cards and the Freckle Pencil. Also let me know if you have any Topshop recommendations because I'm always on the look out for new bits and pieces! 

Eloise x

Fleur De Force Cosmetics

Hi Guys,

Last week the lovely Fleur De Force launched her very first cosmetics line, exclusively with Feel Unique. Which goes perfectly alongside her new collaboration with Eylure for a range of False lashes and her very popular Glam Guide Book, which I have reviewed HERE if you'd like a peek! I have been lucky enough to meet Fleur a couple of times now and as well as always being a pleasure to meet, her makeup is always impeccable. So of course how could I not want to try out her brand new range!

The range is quite compact compared to others, wether it will be expanded or not I'm not entirely sure, but I hope so! To go along side the makeup side of things, there are also a couple of gorgeous accessories in the form of a Cosmetic Bag - £8.99 and Compact Mirror - £4.99. I only have the mirror at the moment, which was a complete surprise when I received it. As I have found with previous mirrors in this style they can be quite flimsy and not the best quality. However this one couldn't be further from the opposite, it has a lovely weight to it and is definitely not going to get ruined easily in your handbag. 

Both accessories have a really pretty design, that actually matches the Glam Guide cover too. It is made up of pastel watercolour and little rose gold stars, the actual makeup bag has rose gold hardware too! Finished off with the signature Fleur De Force logo, I really love the way these have been designed and how everything ties in together. 

The makeup range includes a set of six Lip Glosses, all with star related names, as does the whole line. Which I think is a really nice and clever touch, especially as Fleur is such a huge fan of stars, it just shows how much thought was put into the entire line.

 I picked up the Lipgloss in Seeing Stars - £6.99, a summery coral, it does look like quite a bright orange in the tube. But you can sheer these out or really build them up and make them as bright and as bold as you like. The actual formulation is almost like a hybrid between a liquid lipstick and a gloss. They're not at all sticky, but last well on the lips. They have a great pigmentation to them, but don't dry the lips out either. As well as having a scent that reminds me of chocolate. Plus of course the packaging is a winner too, while still being simple, but has the running star theme.

I also grabbed the Eye Shadow Quad in Lunar Rose - £7.99, there are two quads in the range. This one is more based on the Rose Gold side of things, while there is also a bronze option too. The packaging of this one is another one that surprised me, its quite weighty and feels more expensive than it actually is. Plus the little added brush that I would usually throw away, its pretty good! I would definitely keep it in there for emergencies.

The shadow's themselves are pigmented and easy to apply, they blend well as they are still quite soft, especially the two slightly more shimmery shades. I think the shade selection works really well together and you could get quite a few different combinations from this palette. The first shade is a satin pale pink, which would be great for a everyday eye. Then possibly my favourite shade in the palette is the beautiful shimmer rose gold, which is a dream to blend, as well as the shimmery pale pink. Lastly there is also the warm toned dark purple, with what is almost like a gold glitter and I love this shade as it doesn't fall all over the place and create a huge mess, unlike similar products. 

Lastly I also hunted down a pair of the Eylure Lashes in Fleur Loves - £5.25, these have been extremely popular. I had to go to six different stockists before I found this pair, which were actually the last on the shelf too. I can see exactly why they've been so popular though, they're a perfect everyday lash for a bit of added glamour. The wispy look to them adds volume to the lash line, but are still a lightweight lash. As I am not a massive wearer of false lashes, even I find these comfortable to wear. I think the 3/4 length to them is also a great feature to have, you can position them comfortably.

(Swatches: Left to Right - Lunar Rose Quad from Clockwise & Seeing Stars)

I will definitely be adding the Cosmic Bronze Palette to my collection as well as already drawing up a list of a few colours of the Lip Glosses to add to my next order too. I really recommend giving this range a go, especially for the price range, these products are quite the bargain!

Eloise x

Glossybox: The Style Edition

Hi Guys,

The Glossybox Style Edition has arrived just in time with London Fashion Week coming to a close, it seems like the perfect little link. As well as it promising to deliver five full size products this month, I am extremely excited to get stuck into them all. There's also a great collaboration with Best Kept Secret, which is a great little extra to add.

 All the products inside the box have been chosen to go alongside the trends of Autumn/Winter 2015. I really think they've nailed the trends on the head for this one and to go with the products. They have also done a series of key looks to get inspiration for how to use the new goodies online, to get into the swing of all things Autumn.

I am also just a little bit obsessed with the packaging of this months box, not only does it include two of my favourite colours in mint and bright pink. But the illustration on the front in watercolour makes this box, one of the, if not the prettiest Glossybox's I've ever had. It's one for display thats for sure!

Nails Inc Polish in Battersea Park - £11 for 10ml

Nails Inc polishes are always a winner in my eyes, so its fantastic to see one in this month's box. At first glance for some reason I thought it was a grey tone, but its actually Khaki. I really want to get into moving away from my traditional berry nails this Autumn, so this has definitely arrived at the right time. 

Bella Pierre Shimmer Powder in Whesek - £12.99 for 2.35g

"Griege" is a huge trend this Autumn and especially anything with very earthy tones. So this loose shadow is the perfect shade to start incorporating into my makeup routine. I think the metallic grey sheen to this would look beautiful over a really dark smokey eye, as well as just on it's own.

Marsk Pro Eyeshadow Brush - £16.70

I love when Glossybox include makeup brushes in their boxes, as from past experiences they've always been great and usually from brands I wouldn't usually of tried. This shadow brush from Marsk is no exception, great to pack on shadow with its flat domed shape. As well as being brilliant to apply concealer too as its quite large. 

Maria Nila Luminous Colour Hair Masque - £18.95 for 250ml

I had seen this was included in their sneak peek preview. Which at first I cant say I was very sold on as Im quite picky when it comes to hair masks. However this has changed my mind, it has a delicious raspberry scent to it to start. But its also really thick in constancy and promises to enhance the colour of your hair, while it gives it a good nourish. 

Invisibobble Traceless Hair Ring - £4 for three

I can never sleep with my hair down, it just drives me nuts. But if I tie my hair up, I always end up with that horrible kink in my hair, which is a huge pain when it comes to only having a very limited time frame to get ready in the morning. I had heard a lot about these bobbles and I've never tried them, so I'm very glad to have them sat in my stash now, especially as it saves me having to straighten my hair now!

I love this months box, its amazing to have five full size products, especially ones that I'm actually going to use. Plus the fact the overall price of the box is £63.64 too. Glossybox are really getting on a roll recently.

Eloise x