My illamasqua lipgloss giveaway

Five of my personally created Illamasqua lip glosses are yours to win!

I am sure you are all aware by now of Illamasqua's #Creators collection which has recently been released (goodness I'm been harping on about it for long time) but just in case you missed my very own lip gloss debut then you can read all about it here. I am very excited to hear that all the products are selling and being received so well by fellow bloggers and customers alike so I just wanted to give my readers the chance to get their paws on my lip gloss too. I have five of my very own created lip gloss in Culminate for you to win and entering the giveaway could not be easier...

1. Simply follow me via GFC or Bloglovin' if you don't already.
2. Leave me a comment below - if you could create any beauty product of your own, what would it be?
3. Include your email or twitter handle so I can contact the winner.

International entries welcome and I will close the giveaway on Friday 8th November at midnight GMT. The five winners will be chosen at random and contacted the following week. Best of luck girls!

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Benefit luv it up! makeup kit

Luv it up! The cutest nudist makeup kit* £19.50 
from Benefit Cosmetics

You can always rely on Benefit to come up trumps with a plethora of cutesy kits and stocking filler treats for Christmas and the Luv it Up! makeup kit is just one example of the brand's festive offerings this season. If you like your nude eyeshadows paired with a subtle, glossy lip then look no further than this sweet tin filled with a trio of soft shadows, a creaseless cream eyeshadow and a plush lip gloss mini in Dandelion.

For my makeup look above I firstly prepped my eyes with the mini pot of creaseless cream eyeshadow in R.S.V.P which is a soft coffee-brown shade that works nicely as a base for your powder shadows or simply as a subtle colour to wear alone. I then used "Call my Buff" in the corner of my eye and through my brow bone to highlight and lighten the area and then placed "Nude Swings"all over my lid. I finished with "Thanks a Latte", the most pigmented of the bunch, buffed into the crease to add definition and a slightly shimmery finish. For the lips I used Dandelion gloss which offers a very soft, pearly pink wash of colour and a luxurious sheen. For the rest of my makeup it would have been rude to use anything but Benefit so I opted for a sweep of Coralista on the cheeks and lashings of They're Real! mascara to complete the look!

Are you excited for Benefit's Christmas makeup kits this season?

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Maybelline Fuchsia Flash Color Sensational Vivids lipstick

Mollie King's favourite lipstick from Maybelline in Fuchsia Flash £7.19
available from Superdrug and Boots

When Mollie King of The Saturdays fame became Maybelline's brand ambassador during London Fashion Week recently, it was no surprise that she picked Fuchsia Flash as her signature lipstick colour and the one product to sport her name, finished with a kiss!

Fuchsia Flash lipstick is just that. A flash of electric-bright fuchsia for the lips with a glossy sheen and a smooth consistency. The moment I applied this lipstick I knew it reminded me of another and after trawling through the pink lipstick archives on my blog, it all became clear - Candy Yum Yum from MAC. The finish of these lipsticks are obviously different but both offer a pepto-bismal shot of pink with blue undertones which does wonders for the apparent whiteness of your teeth! For a purse-friendly price, this is a great lipstick for an instant show-stopping slick of pink and a moisturising texture that glides on nicely and gives you a long lasting colour.

Have you tried any of Maybelline's Color Sensational Vivids?

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NEOM Real Luxury candle

NEOM Luxury Organics Real Luxury Treatment Candle* £39.50
available online

As the Autumnal weather begins to set in, the leaves are crunching underfoot and the afternoon light fades to night earlier every day, there is no better excuse to hibernate indoors and light your favourite candle. There is something so comforting about the random flicker of light, warming aroma and calming glow that a candle gives and the beautiful NEOM Real Luxury candle is my current choice for when the cosy socks are on and a mug of tea is in hand.

Real Luxury, a gorgeous infusion of Lavender, Jasmine and Brazilian Rosewood, is NEOM's best-selling candle and at first sniff you can see why! It is a harmony of sweet French lavender with the spicy tones of Brazilian Rosewood which gives you a warming, calming scent that overwhelms the room even before the three wicks are lit. If you are a candle-person like me and can't imagine a table top without one then you are missing out if you don't try one of NEOM's beautiful home candle, or even one of their gift sets so you can experience a selection of scents dotted around your home. Real Luxury is probably one of my favourites from the collection and has been the perfect accompaniment for me next to my stack of bridal magazines and warming cup of earl grey during the recent rainy nights.

Have you tried any of NEOM's candles? Which is your favourite scent?

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Soap & Glory Super-Colour Fabulipstick in Blush Pink

wearing and loving MAC Cranberry eyeshadow swept all over my eyelids

Soap & Glory Super-Colour Fabulipstick Powdercoat Matte lipstick (Blush Pink) £9
available from Boots

Soap and Glory, with their infamous kitsch packaging, is known and adored for their playful bath and skin products and possibly the most incredible smelling buttercream ever but what about makeup? With a plethora of lip, eye and face products it was only a matter of time before I tried out some of their collection and naturally I was excited to give one of the new lipsticks a whirl.

Their Super-Colour Fabulipstick lipsticks have a velvety-soft consistency with a real punch of colour and a satin finish. Blush Pink is a pretty mauve pink shade that is very wearable and a nice shade to choose if you wish to embrace the plum lip trend but want to softly ease yourself in! These Soap and Glory lipsticks have orchid extract in them to soften and moisturise the lips and really do feel incredibly buttery and kind on the lips. I love this lipstick and think it is a perfect Autumnal shade to go with my unending love of Cranberry eyeshadow from MAC and a rosy cheek.

Have you tried anything from the Soap and Glory makeup range?

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Revlon Photoready Primer, Shadow and Sparkle Palette

Revlon Photoready Primer, Shadow and Sparkle Palette* in Metropolitan £8.99
available from Boots and Superdrug

Revlon's new Photoready eye palettes not only offer a trio of complimentary shadows but also include a primer and densely-packed glitter shadow to give you a perfect, versatile palette to take you from natural to glamorous with a quick sweep of sparkle. The neutral-coloured primer is a lovely soft, smooth consistency that glides onto the lid and sets the shadows well. The shimmery taupe and peachy shades are pretty but not that pigmented, however they do make a good highlighter for the brow bone and work as a nice contrast colour for the inner corner. The mocha brown shadow is definitely the most pigmented and useful shade out of this palette and blends beautifully into the crease. The gold glitter is a nice addition and with some careful application it works really well applied over the dark brown or along the lower lash line. These shadows can also be applied wet for a more dramatic look and I would definitely recommend doing this with the sparkle shadow to avoid too much fall out.

The Metropolitan palette was the ideal choice for me as I love my smokey browns and golden shades but with four other options, there is bound to me a palette for everyone. The Watercolours palette looks particularly pretty if you like you dusky violets and deep purple shades.

Have you tried the new Revlon Photoready primer and sparkle palettes?

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My Clarins skincare loves

Clarins Doux Exfoliant Brightening Toner, £25 
and Clarins Multi-Active Skin Renewal Serum*, £47 available online

Despite chopping and changing my skincare regime more frequently than I change my lipstick colour, there is always a constant in my bounty of serums, lotions and night creams. Clarins skincare has become a firm favourite of mine of the last few years and these are just two of my current loves that have been keeping my skin clear, hydrated and problem-free.

The Doux Exfoliant Brightening Toner is described as a gentle exfoliator thus doing two jobs in one, exfoliating and toning the skin. I do love a multi-tasking product! The Doux Exfoliant is a fresh, fluid lotion that promises to brighten, smooth and soften your skin. The Glycolic and Salicylic acids in this toner work at maintaining a balance between preventing a build-up of dead skin cells and encouraging cell renewal, all without leaving the skin feeling dry or tight. Clarins advise to use this once or twice a week but the rebel in me has been reaching for this product more like 4-5 times a week with no scary consequences. My skin feels ridiculously cleansed and fresh after using this toner and will remain one of my many skincare repurchases.

I've said before that serums have only recently become a must-have within my skincare regime and the Multi-Active Skin Renewal Serum from Clarins has become a firm favourite to apply before my day cream or night moisturiser. It just works so well for me by improving my skin texture, making it seem brighter and peachy-soft whilst being light to apply with a lovely fresh scent. The Nopal flower extract in this serum encourages the skin to eliminate its impurities so helps keeps your skin clear and blemish-free and works as a lovely light base in the evening before your night cream. (My preferred time to apply!)

Have you tried any of these products from Clarins? What skincare items are you loving at the moment?

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Amsterdam with DKNY Be Delicious

With my feet firmly back on English soil and the sound of bicycle bells still ringing in my ears, I thought I would share a few far too many snaps from my trip to Amsterdam with the DKNY fragrance team. With the release of their new perfume, Be Delicious Skin - a fragrance with benefits, we headed to the Dutch capital for a global press event to celebrate this exciting launch and have the chance to interview the brains and creativity behind the new product as well as their gorgeous new brand ambassador - Marloes Horst.

I was lucky enough to be joined by a fabulous group of bloggers - Zoe, Lily, Ree and Jen, who mutually appreciated the beautiful surroundings of our hotel, The Conservatorium, and cooed just as much as me at the sight of that bath! The first day was very much business with a few interviews lined up followed by cocktails in Moooi art gallery and a sumptuous, never-ending dinner with the team and the perfume's developer. The second day started slightly more leisurely with everyone taking time to prise themselves out of the most cushiony of beds and amble down for a fine spread of fruit and pancakes for breakfast. With caffeine and croissants fully digested we headed out in to the city and were treated to a canal boat tour which was a wonderful way to see the sights of Amsterdam from the comfort of a glass-topped boat, followed by yes, more food! The afternoon saw a spot of shopping on De 9 Straatjes whilst hot-stepping bicycles left, right and centre and taking countless photos of bridges and canals. It really was an amazing, whirlwind trip to a beautiful city with a great group of girls. I felt extremely fortunate to be there with the DKNY team and I will definitely be returning again even to just visit the Cat Boat - a floating sanctuary for stray and abandoned cats.

Have you visited this vibrant city?

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Nails inc. Pinkie Pink glitter nail polish

Nails Inc. Pinkie Pink nail polish £11
Paint your pinkie pink and show your support for Breast Cancer Campaign!

To support Breast Cancer Awareness Month, Nails Inc. have teamed up with Matthew Williamson and Poppy Delevingne to create two new, limited edition polishes, each with a unique cap label inspired by confidence and empowerment. Fantastically pink and glittery and with £1 donated to Breast Cancer Campaign with every bottle sold, it is a great way to show your support and help raise vital funds for the charity.

If you do paint your pinkies pink this month then simply take a snap and tweet @nailsinc with the hashtag #spotthepinkie and for every tweet received, Nails Inc. will donate an additional 10p to charity. Will you be picking up this polish this month?

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Bridal beauty with Bobbi Brown

"On your wedding day you should look like yourself at your most beautiful." - Bobbi Brown

With my impending nuptials only 9 months away (well 9 months and 6 days to be precise if you're counting, ahem...) my thoughts, time and Pinterest searches have turned to everything "English country wedding"'. I am enjoying the whole process of organising our wedding so much and am immersing myself in as much inspiration and research as possible to make sure we have the perfect day to reflect both our hopes and dreams. From trying on dresses to deciding on my bouquet flowers, it has been a wonderful journey so far and after attending the Brides The Show on Friday night and being surrounded by vintage lace, flowers and macarons, it all got that little bit more exciting!

I was fortunate enough to be invited along to this gorgeous wedding show in London by Bobbi Brown who were the event's beauty sponsors and were on hand to offer tutorials, makeovers, tips and tricks to help the bride and the bridal party achieve perfect makeup on the day. I have already decided that I will probably do my own makeup on the big day so I was particularly keen to soak up as much bridal-beauty information as possible to help me get photo-ready skin and long-lasting liner to carry me through from church aisle to dance floor. I had a lovely makeover from the Bobbi Brown team and was not only able to try out a host of their bridal-recommended products but was able to glean some specific advice from my MUA.

Bridal beauty tips from Bobbi Brown
1. Avoid facial oils before applying your makeup and stay away from foundations that contain SPF as these can cause flash-back in photographs.
2. To avoid looking shiny, ensure you set your concealer and foundation with a sheer pressed powder and don't forget to buff the powder under your eyes too where the concealer can crease and move.
3. For the blushing bride, use two shades of blushers - a neutral shade and a brighter "pop" of colour on the apples of the cheeks.
4. To complete your brows, choose a shadow rather than a pencil for a more natural finish that won't slip or smudge during the day.
5. Define your eyes with a gel liner rather than a kohl or a liquid liner - it will stay smudge-free during those tear-filled moments!
6. For your beauty-bridal touchups throughout the day keep your lipstick and gloss handy along with some blotting paper and pressed powder to keep shine-prone skin in check!
7. Resist the urge to do something that's not true to you and who you are.

And on a person note - Bobbi Brown's Shimmer Brick will be your best friend for gorgeous, glowing skin, and is already on my wedding day makeup list!

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Bourjois Color Edition 24H cream to powder eyeshadows

wearing 03. Petale de Glace all over my lid and 05. Prune Nocturne through the crease to define

Bourjois Color Edition 24 hour cream eyeshadows* £6.99
out now in Boots

For Christmas 2013, Bourjois is enchanting us with the magic of winter tales and the illumination of crystallised snow and glistening ice. At the heart of this captivating collection is an assortment of new cream to powder eyeshadows housed in an updated version of Bourjois' little round pots and with an iridescent, metallic finish for this season's fresh take on the classic smokey eye.

I have been dabbling with three of the new shades in 03. Petale de Glace, 05. Prune Nocturne and 02. Or Desir (from left to right) and love the luminous, shimmering finish they give with a buildable level of colour. Initially the texture is quite tough and firm in the pots so it is best to soften the cream with your fingertips before applying it all over the eyelid. I used my fingers to roughly set the cream in place and then took a small fluffy brush to blend and define the eyeshadows together. True to their word, these shadows really are cream to powder and transform quickly once in contact with skin, but are still easy to work with and blend out nicely. I love the pearly finish that you get with all these little pots of shadow and they work great as a eyeshadow base too if you wanted to layer a more intense shade over the top. With a small angled brush, these would also be brilliant to line the lash line with or simply add a metallic flick of colour.

What are your thoughts of cream to powder shadows? Are you excited by these new releases from Bourjois?

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Smokey eyes and berry lips with Clinique

This last week has definitely marked the slow demise of my summertime makeup rut, my pastel pink lip and barely there shadows, and the appearance of smokier shades and darker lips. With some of Clinique's Autumn Winter releases at my fingertips, I thought I would create a smokey-eye, berry lip look - a classic Fall makeup option that is simple yet striking and perfect for a night out.

For the eyes I started with Clinique's new All About Shadow Primer for Eyes* and used the foam applicator to apply the skin-toned primer all over my lids, from the lash line to the brow bone. Eye primer is usually a step that I will happily skip when time is precious but when I am using heavier shades or want my shadow to last that little bit longer, then it is an invaluable step. I am not really an eye primer connoisseur but the Clinique primer seemed to prep my eyelids perfectly and created a neutral base to help keep my eyeshadow in place for up to 12 hours. Next I took the new All About Shadow Quad* in Jenna's Essentials and applied the shimmery white in the corner of my eyes and through my brow bones. I then took the taupe shade all over my eyelids and defined the crease with the warm, mocha shadow. To finish I skipped any eyeliner but lined my top and bottom lash lines with the sooty black powder. These shadows are lovely and smooth to apply, are nicely pigmented and compliment each other perfectly so make the ideal palette to sling in your makeup bag for when you are on the move or want to take your makeup from office to office party!

To finish the look I applied Clinique's Chubby Stick* in Roomiest Rose which a lovely rosey-pink shade, a happier medium between a plum and a red shade. This chubby stick isn't too intense but a great pick for a fresh pop of colour and a balm-like texture and finish. And there we have it! Any there any pieces from the new Clinique range that excites you for an Autumn Winter makeup look?

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