MAC Coral Bliss lipstick

MAC lipstick in Coral Bliss £15
available online and in stores/on counters

When MAC released their Cremesheen + Pearl collection, I immediately scouted the new lipsticks on offer and earmarked Coral Bliss as a definite must-have item, along with Japanese Maple which is the prettiest of nudes. Coral Bliss is weirdly described as a frosted light coral which is a little misleading as it isn't at all frosty on the lips, just a true soft coral hue with a typical cremesheen finish. I absolutely love this shade as a easy-to-wear, everyday lip colour and gives my lips a lovely suppleness with a milky-coral finish. And the best news is that all the pretty rose-pinks, coral and nude lipsticks launched in the Cremesheen + Pearl collection are now permanent. This makes me very excited for Spring Summer makeup again!

Have you tried any of the MAC lipsticks from Cremesheen + Pearl?

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Illamasqua Liv lipstick

Illamasqua Liv lipstick £16.50
available online

After a long season playing with dark plums and rich reds for the lips, I decided to rummage through my lipstick collection and unearth some fresh shades to take me into 2014. Liv lipstick from Illamasqua is a matte, icy-cool pink-toned shade with an element of soft lavender making it quite a unique and daring shade to wear. It is soft and feminine yet the stark lilac tone makes it a strong statement and is best applied by lightly dabbing it onto your lips. The matte texture can make this lipstick a bit of a tricky customer to work with so ensure you throughly exfoliate and prep your lips before application and follow up with a layer of clear lip balm or gloss over the top to keep the colour looking smooth and flawless!

Have you tried this lavender-pink lipstick from Illamasqua?

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Christmas beauty bits

With an ever-expanding beauty wish list which I whip out and add to more times than I care to admit, it is only to be expected than some of my most coveted pieces will end up under the Christmas tree, and I was more than grateful to receive this lovely selection of palettes and lipsticks from my fiancé this year.

The Splendor in the Grass blush palette from the Guy Bourdin Holiday Collection was love at first sight when I spied in on the NARS counter a few weeks ago. It is a beautiful quad of blushers including Albatross, Dolce Vita, Sex Appeal and Angelika to highlight and flush your cheeks with a mixture of matte and shimmering shades. The Charlotte Tilbury Dolce Vita eyeshadow palette is my first taster into this soon-to-be cult beauty brand but I am sure it will not be my last! It is the perfect collection of warm browns and golds with plenty of shimmer which I am excited to use for my New Year's Eve night out.

My new lipsticks cut quite a contrast next to each other, with YSL No.13 Peach Passion offering a gorgeous summer-bright peachy lip versus MAC's Rebel which is the vampy, plum lipstick I've been wanting to add to my collection for ages now! I think it would look stunning combined with the Charlotte Tilbury palette on my eyes and a flush of NARS Dolce Vita blush on the cheeks.

Merry Christmas to all my wonderful readers - I hope you all had the loveliest of days and I look forward to hearing what beauty products might have appeared under your Christmas tree this year.

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Clarins Miami Pink blush

Clarins Blush Prodige Illuminating Cheek Colour* in Miami Pink
£20.80, available from Escentual

There is always something so beautiful by Clarins eye palettes and cheek compacts and this one is no exception. Housed in an elegant compact with a mosaic of two complimentary pink shades, the Prodige Illuminating cheek colour is the perfect shade to give you a true flush of colour. The matte shade helps sculpts and gives you a sweep of pigmentation whilst the iridescent shade highlights and adds a hint of shimmer.  The texture of this blush is smooth and silky and glides onto the skin easily and lightly with the ability to build up if necessary. I love the fact that you can use the colours from this compact separately if you want just a matte cheek colour or a light sweep of shimmer but it works best when all the squares are swirled together to get the prettiest of pinks!

Have you tried Clarins Prodige Illuminating Cheek Colour?

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My NARS face

My NARS complexion
all products available from NARS and SpaceNK online

Last month I was fortunate enough to be invited along to the mecca of all beauty halls, Selfridges, to meet with NARS' international lead makeup stylist Jane Richardson to talk all things complexion-based from foundations, concealers, powders and blush. One of my favourite aspects of makeup is mastering a flawless base whether you are after light and dewy or matte and sculpted to perfection and it was great to watch Jane is action and see how she uses theses familiar NARS products to give you a beautiful base to begin your look. The following morning I couldn't wait to delve into my bagful of base products including a couple of cult classics and give my face a NARS makeover!

First things first - primer and foundation and for this I used the multi-protect primer (SPF30) and Sheer Glow foundation in Fiji. My oh my, I can certainly see what all the fuss is about with NARS Sheer Glow as it is just the most gorgeous product. Great coverage but not too heavy, fresh and dewy but not at all greasy. Apart from the fact that it doesn't have a pump it pretty much ticks all the boxes for me and gives your skin an incredible glowing quality with a buildable coverage. Jane opted to apply this foundation with her fingers working from the centre outwards and liked to also blend it over the eyelids to work as a primer for your eyeshadow.

Next up is a very much adored concealer from NARS - the radiant creamy concealer in the shade Custard. This coveted concealer is heavenly and covers a multitude of sins from dark circles to pesky blemishes. As the name suggests this makeup must-have is extremely creamy, light-weight and luminous to help create a smooth, perfected complexion with some skin-loving properties to boot. I set my foundation with the new light reflecting setting powder which helps "skin shine through makeup" and gives your look a natural, radiant finish by optimises the light reflection on your skin. It also regulates shine without leaving a trace of colour so is perfect for quick touch-ups during the day. To add some extra lit-from-within radiance to my skin I brought out the big guns and reached for the infamous Multiple in Copacabana and placed this creamy highlighter along my brow and cheek bones, down the bridge of my nose and on my cupid's bow. Lightweight, sheer yet shimmering, Copacabana is such a pretty pearly-champagne highlighter which gives your skin a beautiful glow.

With the base done it was time to contour and blush the cheeks so I reached for possibly the most adored bronzer on the beauty market ever(!) - NARS Laguna. Diffused with golden shimmer to give your skin an all-over warmth and glow, Laguna is perfect to contour or give you a sun-kissed radiance with a natural finish. And as if I didn't have enough stuff on my face already, I topped off my NARS complexion with a dusting of Luster Blush which is described as a sheer golden apricot powder and is silky and lovely to apply, giving your cheeks a gorgeous peachy sheen and shimmer. Peachy perfection!

So that's my NARS face done and I have to say that I can concur with every cult classic mentioned whilst discovering a few, lesser-raved about items such as Luster blush which is just beautiful. What are your favourite NARS base products?

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Bleach London Rosé Super Cool Colour hair dye

Bleach London Super Cool Colours, £5
available from Boots

On a whim last week during a wild Friday night in alone, I decided to reach for the baby pink bottle of hair dye from Bleach London that has been taunting me from my dressing table ever since they sent it to me a month or so ago. I can't help but fall head over heels for pastel hues and candy floss locks so was excited to give this pretty pink shade a whirl. Bleach London currently have an array of twelve rainbow shades from super-sweet lilac and peach to grungy greens and daring reds! They are non-permanent hair dyes that wash out after 2-10 washes and will vary on intensity depending on your hair colour and how long you leave it to develop. Obviously they work best on blonde hair so Bleach London also offer a DIY bleaching kit to get your locks lightened and ready to go whether you want to dip dye or go for an all over colour.

For £5 you get 150ml which easily will cover thick, medium length hair like mine. In fact I didn't even use the entire bottle on my hair but having seen the results and the slightly patchy areas, I wish I had used the whole thing! To use this product you simply apply the dye to washed, towel dried hair and leave it on for 15 minutes. The colour of this Rose hair dye is one of the nicest, 'true' baby pink shades I have tried and I loved the results. However if/when I do it again I would definitely change a few things to ensure a better, more even colour. Rather than just slap it on (which I was guilty of doing) it is definitely worth dividing your hair into sections and applying the dye root to tip to make sure all areas are covered. I would also make sure I pay special attention to the ends of my hair as these prove tricky to dye and might need a little longer to develop. Oh yes, and wear gloves! But for a first attempt I was pretty impressed with this dye from Bleach London and I think they are a great, fun option if you want to add a pop of pastel to your hair. I would definitely do it again once this one has washed out and have my eye on the loveliest of lilacs - Parma Violets.

Have you tried any of the new colours from Bleach London?

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Bobbi Brown Siren Red nail polish

Bobbi Brown Old Hollywood nail polish in Siren Red* £11
available online and on counters

Bobbi Brown's Christmas 2013 collection, Old Hollywood, is a decadent collection of smokey, glittery shadows for the eyes, an ink liner for a sexy cat eye flick and a bold, classic red shade for nails and lips. The four, limited edition nail polishes are perfect to give you a luxe look for your nails ready for the Christmas parties and festive gatherings and my absolute favourite is this sumptuous cherry red for a touch of glamour.

Siren red is the classic red number for your nails and has such a smooth consistency to apply, it will give you an opaque finish in just two coats. It is such a party-ready shade and will give you that pop of colour to compliment your little back dress perfectly!

What is your favourite red polish?

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Illamasqua Perseid nail varnish

Perseid*, a galactic black glitter from Illamasqua £14.50
available online and in stores

In October I shared with you all a very exciting project I had been working on with Illamasqua where I was amongst four bloggers chosen to create our very own collection - the #Creators collection. Made up of two lip glosses and two nail varnishes, this unique social collaboration was in celebration of Illamasqua's five spectacular years of existence and was inspired by dark stars and far-off galaxies. Whilst I was busy creating my very own Illamasqua lip gloss, Culminate, Suzi was working on this dramatic polish aptly called Perseid, meaning a prolific meteor shower and depicts this polish perfectly.

Perseid was the creation of Style Suzi and is a gorgeous galactic mix of blackened purple, fine shimmer and chunky glitter laced with an iridescent teal undertone that makes it completely spellbinding. The formula can be a bit tricky to work with so I advise two or three light coats to get a completely opaque finish and even surface, followed by a glossy top coat to keep the polish looking as striking as possible. It really is such a unique, fun shade and makes a great accent nail colour as well with a deep purple or black varnish on all the other nails. It will leave everyone starry-eyed!

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Michael Kors Sexy Bronze Powder in Flush

Michael Kors Bronze Powder (Flush)* £34
available from House of Fraser

So the award for the biggest bronzer in existence goes to the new Michael Kors bronze powder which is a hefty 21g of gorgeousness! The new MK beauty range is divided into three categories - Sexy, Glam and Sporty and this beautiful rosy-bronzer is from the Sexy range. Flush is a lovely warm-toned bronzing powder with a hint of pinky-coral to it which really gives you a natural flush of colour, just like you've just come indoors from a brisk winter's walk outside.

The powder is matte and glitter-free but gives your skin a lovely fresh radiance and blends in beautifully. It is extremely pigmented so best to start off softly softly and then build it up if necessary. It really reminds me of Benefit's Dallas box o'powder and is such a nice shade to choose if you like warm bronzers with a terracotta brown tone to them that add warmth and rosiness to your cheeks.

Have you tried anything from the new Michael Kors range?

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The Body Shop 4 step smoky eyes palette

4-Step Smoky Eyeshadow Palette in 02 Smoky Plum £15
from The Body Shop

It's funny to think that a few years ago I wasn't that into eyeshadows. It was all about the blushers and lipsticks for me but fast forward a few years and many palettes later, I am a self-confessed eyeshadow junkie. I particular love functional palettes that contain a selection of shades that can be used all together to create a particular look which is why the 4-step smoky eyes palette from The Body Shop is just perfect.

Smoky Plum is a beautiful quad of shadows to create a really pretty purple-toned smoky eye which can be worn subtly as above or deepened with a heavier application of the rich plum shadow. It includes a pearly-pink highlighter shade which is great to sweep all over the lid up to the brow bone. Next to that is a sparkly mauve shade which I applied all over my lid followed by the coppery-brown colour to define the corner and wing the colour out a little. Finally I took the matte aubergine shade and blended this into the crease of my eyelid to darken the outer corners and finish off my smoky eye look. This kit from The Body Shop is such a handy little palette to have and a great alternative if you are a little nervous of using dark browns and blacks when creating a smoky eye.

Have you tried any of The Body Shop's eyeshadow palettes before?

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Pink playsuit

Playsuit* | In Love with Fashion

Clutch | Accessorize

Skinny belt | H&M

Tassel boots | River Island

The Christmas parties are well and truly upon us which means every weekend is an excuse to get dressed up and put on your fanciest frocks! I went out last night to celebrate all things Christmassy with my hockey team and decided to wear my new hot pink crepe playsuit with eyelash lace detail from LOVE. I absolutely love this piece and thought it was the perfect item to wear out for dinner and drinks paired with some tights (far too indecent for bare legs alone!) and my suede heeled boots. At the back it has an exposed zip with a lovely key hole detail which gives it an interesting twist and I added the skinny belt to cinch in my waist and break up the block colour a bit. They also have this playsuit in a gorgeous teal shade and a pretty nude option as well which I can imagine would be lovely with a tan and wedges for a Summer garden party!

Hope you are all well and are having super-festive weekends! :)

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Michael Kors Sexy Amber Eau de Parfum Spray

Michael Kors Sexy Amber Eau de Parfum £55
available from House of Fraser

After much anticipation and teasing image shots, the Michael Kors beauty collection was finally available to the masses last month and I am excited to be able to show you a few of my favourite pieces from the new range. Divided into a trio of collections - glam, sexy and sporty- and all housed in some chunky, modern. gold packaging similar to their iconic accessories lineup, the new beauty range offers some fabulous products. Whether you love you polishes, lipsticks, oversized bronzers or perfumes, there is bound to be a scent and a shade to inspire you.

The three perfumes - Glam Jasmine, Sporty Citrus and Sexy Amber, are all gorgeously presented in an angular glass bottle with a crowning golden top embossed with the Michael Kors logo. Sexy Amber is a really unique, sumptuous fragrance of amber and sandalwood which is a far cry from the usual sugary-sweet scents I tend to lean towards. The main thread of this perfume is quite musky but then the orange and mandarin notes power through and leaves it feeling floral and fruity. Because this Eau de Parfum feels slightly deeper and more mature than a lot of my other fragrances I would probably pick it up for a spritz before a night out and I think the rich amber adds a lovely warm quality to the fragrance making it perfect for a chilling Autumnal evening.

Have you tried anything from the Michael Kors beauty range?

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Soap & Glory Endless Glove moisture mask + hand cream

Soap & Glory Endless Glove hand cream
available from Boots

I will throw my generously slathered hands up and confess that I am a hand cream junkie. I can never be more than a few feet away from a pot or tube of the white stuff and have a endless supply filling my bedside drawers and strewn across my desktop at work. A few of my favourites have to be LUSH's Hand Gurugu and Soap & Glory's Hand Food so when I discovered S&G had a new(ish) hand cream on offer, I knew I had to give it a go and add it to the other three or more tubes festering in my handbag!

Endless Glove is a handy 2 in 1 product - a nice, quick-to-sink-in hand cream for day to day use when you are on the go or as a moisture mask to condition your wind-ravished hands overnight if you have some cotton gloves ready to slip on. The cream is packed full of macadamia and grape seed oils, pomegranate and Shea butters to smooth and repair any dryness and hydrate tight, cracked skin. Like you would expect with most Soap & Glory products, the scent is sweet and girly but not overpowering so and is really pleasant to use. The consistency is quite loose compared to my other thick, indulgent favourites but it does the job perfectly and keeps my hands velvety soft and supple. Endless Glove is definitely another favourite of mine and one that I will happily repurchase when my hand cream supplies need replenishing!

Have you tried this hand cream from Soap & Glory?

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Hair styling with Toni & Guy straighteners and serum

Classic hair styling with Toni & Guy Professional Straighteners & Shine Gloss Serum

Over the last decade or so I have gotten through my fair share of hair straighteners and curling irons. Ever since the novelty of GHDs hit the corridors and classrooms during my school years to the latest innovation of heated rollers and tongs, I think everyone has a pair of straighteners in their hair styling armoury for those sleek locks, twists or flicks. Recently I have turned my back on my trusty Cloud Nines and have been giving some items from Toni & Guy's classic hair collection a go to see how they fared on my unruly mane.

Toni & Guy's Professional Straighteners are the answer to quick and sleek hair with their variable heat temperature which allows them to reach a frazzling 230 degrees celsius. I personally stay clear of the highest temperature with any of these adjustable heat hair tools and with these straighteners, you really don't need to crank up the heat to get lovely results. The ceramic plates glide through the hair nicely and only takes a few seconds on each section to get super sleek hair with a glossy finish. They are also incredibly versatile at achieving soft waves and curls by gently twisting and pulling the hair from about halfway down all the way to the tip. To help give my hair a softness and shine I applied two pumps of the Toni & Guy Classic Shine Gloss Serum to just-washed hair before blow-drying and straightening it. The serum is lovely and light so can also be used on dry hair as well to finish your look and give your locks a gorgeous lustre and tame any frizz or fly-aways! A perfect pair of products if you after a sleek, classic style, some quick, easy waves or simple twists and flicks.

What hair tool do you swear by to straighten and style your hair?

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Sweetheart dress

Sweetheart dress* - Sugarhill Boutique

Shoes - Next

Clutch - Accessorize

If we can breeze over the fact that I forgot to bronze my lower half and have some rather pasty legs and focus on the dress in question, I think you will agree it is a rather lovely item from the Brighton-based brand - Sugarhill Boutique. Brocade is big news for AW13 and I adore the gold and purple print design of this dress with the flirty heart cut-out which gives it such a sweet, fun edge.  It has a slightly nipped waist and exposed zip at the back and is easily dressed up or down for any occasion such as the wedding reception I went to last night.

Sugarhill Boutique is a brand I wasn't very aware of until a few months ago but now it is one of those sites I tend to browse whenever after something a bit fun and unique. I would say that if you are after a sparkly number or a Christmas jumper this season then it is definitely worth a visit!

Have you ever purchased something from Sugarhill Boutique?

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Revlon red lips

Cardigan - H&M | Tartan Scarf - Urban Outfitters

Revlon Red Super Lustrous lipstick & Fatal Apple Super Lustrous lipgloss
available from Boots

There is nothing quite as captivating and bewitching as a classic red lip. It has this fabulous ability to transform any look or mood and take your makeup from simple to striking with a quick slick of colour and a sheen of your favourite red gloss. The Revlon Red collection offer a trio of party-perfect products to get your nails and makeup ready for a season of celebrations and I have already fallen for this luscious lip combination.

Revlon Red Super Lustrous lipstick is a timeless medium-toned red lip shade with a velvety-soft formula and creamy texture. It smoothes on beautifully and gives you a true classic hue which would be really flattering on most skin tones. The gorgeous gloss in Fatal Apple is housed in a lovely chunky tube with Revlon's iconic black and gold packaging and is the perfect topping to this classic red lip. The Super Lustrous lipgloss combines a sheer colour and intense moisture with light-reflecting spheres giving your lips incredible lustre and shine. I have always really liked the Revlon lip glosses as they give a lovely gleam of colour without being too sticky or gloppy and this one is no exception. It is a winning combination!

What are your favourite products to use to achieve a classic red lip?

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Little Black Dress

Gorgeous Couture Bailey dress* - Little Black Dress

Lips clutch - Lulu Guinness
Shoes - Next
Lipstick - YSL Fuchsia in Excess

Another day, another little black dress! When I was given the chance to chose a party-perfect outfit from the aptly named Little Black Dress website I was a little in awe of their sumptuous selection of evening dresses, all absolutely begging to be worn this Christmas season. From cutesy prom dresses to decadent ball gowns, there is literally a LBD for every occasion and budget. After much deliberation I settled for the classic Bailey dress from Gorgeous Couture which has been on my fashion radar for some time actually. I am a big fan of one-shoulder styling and this dress is just beautiful with the soft Italian jersey fabric that drapes and ruches in just the right places. I love the versatility of this dress, simple enough to wear out for drinks yet the perfect blank canvas to create a more striking outfit with some show-stopping accessories and killer heels. I opted for option one at the weekend and kept the look uncomplicated with a pop of pink on the lips accompanied by some equally pink lips in my hand and some festive, sparkly shoes to finish.

Have you got your LBD sorted for the Christmas party season?

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Kardashian Kollection for Lipsy

Shop the collection online!

Love them or hate them, you can't escape the phenomenon of the Kardashians and their ever-expanding empires here and across the shores. The latest Kardashian collaboration sees the ladies adding there recognisable glamour, cinched waists and high heels to Lipsy's last collection of evening wear just in time for all those Christmas parties. The Kardashian Kollection sees Kim, Khloe and Kourtney strutting their stuff is a multitude of figure-hugging dresses and glitzy accessories and one particular dress stood out to me from this new range - the Lace Yoke Shift Dress*. Despite feeling notably less curvacious than Kim herself in the dress, I love the fit and feel of this shift body con with some gorgeous lace detailing and a plunging neckline. For me, it is the perfect little black dress with plenty of glamour and elegance, ideal for the office Christmas party or a New Years Eve ball.

What do you think of the Kardashian Kollection for Lipsy? Are there any dresses you have your eye on?

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