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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