Origins Make a Difference Overnight Hydrating Repair Cream

I think everyone has that one particular, failsafe beauty brand that will always feature in their collection come what may. When it comes to skincare I think one of the brands that will always be nestled amongst my lotions and potions is Origins. Ever since I branched away from the Boots aisles to the counter in Selfridges in search for a new brand of skincare I have always had something from Origins on the go and feel reassured that it will always give me great results, especially when I am having a bad skin moment.

Recently I have been enjoying a new addition to my night time skin routine in the form of Origins' Make a Difference Overnight Hydrating Repair Cream* (£34.50) which is the latest launch from this marvellous skincare brand and promises to replenish moisture levels whilst you sleep. This ultra-rich cream is fortified with Rose of Jericho plus lychee and watermelon hydra-sustain complex which quenches the skin's thirst overnight, deeper than ever before. At night skin is prone to losing more moisture than during the day and its barrier is more vulnerable which is why Origins have created this luxurious lotion to relocate moisture from the deep reservoir layers of the skin to the surface layers, helping to restore lost moisture while you sleep. Perfect to pop on as the final step in your evening skincare routine, this repair cream will ensure you awake with radiant, refreshed, supple and rejuvenated skin.

I have really loved using this over the past few months as an intergral part of my night time routine. Once I have washed, cleansed and toned my face I apply a rather generous layer of the Repair Cream to my bare skin just before climbing into bed and always feel like my skin has been given a real treat overnight, with my skin looking and feeling plumper and more fresh than it usually would. I had been suffering from a few nasty dry patches around my jaw line just before Christmas and this cream, along with a few other key products, seem to have done the trick and cleared them up perfectly. If you are after a new night cream and feel your skin is a little lacklustre then this could be a great new product for you. The only downside is possibly the scent - slightly unusual, a little bit 'plastic'y' smelling but something I can definitely live with if I know my skin will be enjoying a little pamper whilst I get my Zzzz.

Have you got any Origins' products that are popular in your beauty regime?

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Bobbi Brown Illuminating Nudes Collection

Wearing the Natural Brow Shaper in Slate, Sparkle Eye Shadow in Golden Peach and Lip Gloss in Almost Nude

Put a fresh face forward this year. A new year means a new beauty collection and this latest launch from Bobbi Brown is simply beautiful. The Illuminating Nudes Collection takes makeup back to the basics and features five must-have products for creating an effortlessly pulled together look. It is a welcome relief after a glitter-laden, heavy lined and dark lipped festive season and each product is easy to use, clean, wearable and illuminating to lift and brighten your makeup look for a fresh start to 2015. If you are after a healthy, natural glow with subtle sparkle on the eyes and a light-reflective nude gloss for the lips then this collection has it all and more.

Bobbi Brown have launched their new Extra Illuminating Moisture Balm which Bobbi herself calls her "Dream Cream". It is the first step for a lit-from-within look. This moisturiser gives the skin a re-energised feel and provides a boost of moisture and radiance in one simply step. Once your skin is perfectly prepped Bobbi Brown suggest using their CC Cream which has had a few new shades added to the range and is the ultimate beauty balm for healthy-looking skin. Bobbi Brown's CC Cream evens out the skin in three ways; it colour-corrects, blurs the look of imperfections and illuminates all skin tones.

Once your base is flawless and illuminating it is time to frame the face with well-groomed, defined brows. Bobbi Brown's Natural Brow Shaper & Hair Touch Up* (£16) is a cream to gel formula that effortlessly defines and fills in your eyebrows while grooming and shaping them with the compact brush. With some new colours added there will definitely be a shade to suit you as well as a clear option to keep brows in place without a hint of tint! This is a great little product and really grooms and combs through your brows giving them a touch of colour, neatly filling in any sparse areas and taking them from unruly to ultra chic in an instant.

For the eyes we are going sparkly with Bobbi Brown's Sparkle Eye Shadow* (£23) with three new shades added to the now permanent makeup line; White Sand, Golden Peach and Ballet. The formula of these shadows is featherweight and instants lights up the eyes with a combination of shimmering pearls and fine sparkle. They have a gorgeous, creamy soft powder feel and are incredibly long lasting without a crease or smudge in sight. I have Golden Peach on which is a beautifully rich golden shimmer with light peachy flecks and is a great shade to wear all over your lids, day or night. And finally it is time to wake up your face and give your lips a sultry sheen with a slick of Bobbi Brown's Sheer Color Lip Gloss* (£18.50). Three new shades have joined this lip lacquer lineup in Almost Nude, Almost Peach and Almost Pink. They are the prettiest glosses to look at and are infused with soothing botanical extracts to keep lips and healthy and soft. They have a slightly minty scent and give the lips a high-shine finish to pull the look together perfectly. They are any nude-lip-lovers' dream and look sweet on the lips whether worn alone or layered over your favourite lipstick.

Will you be swinging by your nearest Bobbi Brown counters to give your look a fresh makeover this year?

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Estée Lauder CC and EE Cream

So first came the BB creams, and whilst everyone was enjoying this new revolution of blemish balms and giving their skin all the greatness of a tinted moisturiser with added healing properties, the CC phenomena swept the beauty world! Colour/Complexion Correctors were welcomed to improve skin tone and add a bit more coverage than your standard BB cream whilst still offering a host of skin-loving properties to heal and improve skin imperfections. But it doesn't end there! Neatly side-stepping that awkward double-D moment, Estée Lauder have created the first EE cream of its kind - an Even Effect Skintone Corrector to enlighten the skin for a flawless, luminous finish.

So let's delve a little deeper into these two smart-sounding, skin base products from Estée Lauder, which may look quite similar but give you two different options for lovely, natural looking skin.  Firstly, the Revitalizing Supreme CC Creme* (£40) is a sheer, lightweight cream with a universal shade that will complement virtually any complexion and enhance a more radiant, even look. The blueish-grey cream slowly turns into a more foundation-like colour once you start blending it into your skin as the micro pigments activate and the colour adapts to perfectly match your complexion. This CC creme is really targeted at slightly more mature skin that those youthful 20-somethings and it deeply hydrates, evens out skin tone whilst working on fine lines, wrinkles, loss of firmness and dullness. The feel of this cream is light to apply and gives the skin an instant glow and plumpness. It could easily be worn alone as a base product on those good skin days considering it gives a little more coverage than your average BB cream or alternatively works wonders as a primer-type layer to really give your foundation a flawless look.

Next up is the Estée Lauder Enlighten Even Effect Skintone Corrector* (£34), of just EE creme for short, which is the first of its kind to hit the beauty world.  This new product launch promises to offer something a little different from the former BB and CC wave of creams and gives the skin a more even, flawless and luminous finish. The formula, available in three shades, is ultra-sheer but does deliver a lovely wash of healthy colour that can be built up to minimise the appearance of dark spots, blemishes, redness and pores. And this is where the beauty of this product lies and sets it apart from the other BB/CC/primer-hybrids. Estée Lauder has leveraged key research into hyperpigmentation and launched their new Enlighten skincare range which takes visible skin evening to a whole new level, and this EE cream completes the range as the final step for your skin. Like with the CC creme, I can be worn alone for a light, natural look or under your foundation for a more polished finish. It creates a barrier for your skin to protect against pollution and free radicals whilst softening, smoothing and hydrating.

I love love both these products from Estée Lauder and think they both have a place in my makeup collection. The CC cream is a great option when you want a little bit more coverage than your average BB cream (and the EE cream) and it really transforms to match your complexion perfectly. It is light and lovely for those non-makeup days and contains all the greatness of Estée Lauder's Revitalizing Supreme Anti-Aging Creme so you know it is doing wonders for your skin deep down whilst you wear it. The EE cream looks like it would give you more coverage but it much sheerer on the skin so is much more suited as a primer to even out skin tone and protect against pollution as a step before your foundation. I love that it is available in three different shades and really made my skin feel soft and hydrated whilst giving me a fresher, clearer looking complexion.

BB, CC or EE - which cream is the one for you?

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Bourjois Smoky Stories Eyeshadow Palettes

Prime, shadow, define and highlight with Bourjois' new Smoky Stories Eyeshadow palettes available in eight smouldering shades. Last year it was all about Bourjois' trio of eyeshadows for quick and simple smoky eyes but now they have upped their game and added another shadow into their handy little palettes, with the lightest shade boasting an integrated base primer to prolong colour for up to 12 hours hold.

The Bourjois Smoky Stories Eyeshadow Palettes* (£7.99) available from Boots have a lovely cream to powder texture with a buildable intensity for a new, arty version of smoky eyes. The three harmonious shades in each palette come with the Light Touch, a new generation integrated top coat that contains co-ordinated glitter for a subtle shimmer and illumination. The glittery shade can be applied as a solid layer all over the eyeshadow base to complete your sparkly, smoky look or alternatively can be used to add shimmer and highlight in the corner of your eye, along your brow bone or at the roots of the lashes for a flash of sparkle. I am always a fan of eyeshadow palettes that have everything you need at your fingertips to prime, shadow and highlight. The texture of each shadow is smooth, easy to blend out and gives an lovely, even result on your eyelids and the base primer provides a unified base shadow for your darker colours to cling to. The sparkly top coat is such a fun addition as well and makes a great little highlighter or glitter top coat to take you from day to night!

Which colour compact have you got your eye on?

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Hourglass Ambient Lighting Blush Palette

If there was ever a product to prompt a flurry of heart-eyed emojis then this could be the one! The rose gold packaging, the trio of pretty marbled blushers, the luminous effect they give to your cheeks...I could go on! Until this new addition I had never tried anything from Hourglass Cosmetics, simply admired from afar on various beauty blogs and secretly coveted every time I browsed Space NK. The moment I saw this holiday 2014 limited edition lighting blush palette start popping up on my Bloglovin' feed I knew it was something that would have to come home with me next time I was in Space NK - and so it did!

Not only is this Ambient Lighting Blush Palette (£56) incredibly beautiful to look at but it is actually a beautiful product to use also and gives your cheeks a lustrous colour with a subtle, seamless radiance. I love my MAC mineralised blushers and I find the formula, texture and finish of the Hourglass powders very similar. They are light and illuminating giving the skin a touch of shimmer and iridescence without being ladened with chunky glitter which is particularly stubborn to blend out and make look natural. These Hourglass powders are formulated with patented Photoluminescent Technology which creates a revolutionary blusher that is buildable and soft-focus with a subtle illuminating finish and multidimensional colour. Each shade brushes onto the skin delicately and gives you a lit-from-within hue that glows and brightens up your makeup instantly. The three shades, from left to right, are: Luminous Flush (a champagne rose blush infused with candlelit glimmer), Incandescent Electra (a cool peach hue with a celestial glow) and Mood Exposure (a soft plum tone to brighten the complexion). These individual ambient lighting blushers can be purchased separately for £28 from Space NK here but Incandescent Electra is exclusive to this palette which is another reason, just in case you needed any more, why this is a must-have purchase!

What do you think of this blush palette? What other products do I need from Hourglass Cosmetics?

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UGG Slippers = Happy Feet

I honestly never thought I would get this excited over a pair of slippers but ever since I was gifted these super snug Ugg slippers for Christmas they have hardly left my feet. Yes, I am aware I probably sound like a complete Grandma right about now...but bear with me! The Ugg Scuffette II slippers are just heavenly - I feel like my feet have never been so happy. They are so warm and comfortable and keep your toes toasty without making them feel too hot or...sweaty?! I appreciate they aren't the prettiest of slippers but when choosing comfort over style then these are the babies for you. I always suffer from chilly hands and feet and hate walking around the house with bare feet so these are just perfect to slip on and snuggle up on the sofa in. And the best thing, Rob has got a matching pair! His and her slippers - we are so cool!

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New MAC Lipsticks

It would be fair to say that most of my family and friends know that if they are ever struggling to buy me a birthday or Christmas present then I will be more than happy with a new MAC lipstick - it just might take them a while to work out which ones I have and haven't got in my overflowing collection! Call me predictable but I wholeheartedly believe you can never have too many lipsticks and I was very lucky to receive a fantastic foursome of new lip shades on Christmas Day. Ever since the whole Kylie Jenner lip trend has rocked the beauty world there has been a few particular MAC lipsticks that have been thrust into the limelight and promoted to the top of many beauty junkies' wish lists and I of course swiftly added them to my wish list too!

These four lipsticks I have been coveting for sometime now all fall into a similar colour family despite, in my eyes anyway, being all completely different and necessary! They all nearly falls under the nude-beige-pinky-brown family and either have a satin or matte finish. First up is Brave (Satin) which is described as a "pink-beige with white pearls" but I can assure you that the pearly aspect is very minimal if not non-existent but simply gives the colour a pretty, cool tone. Next is Honeylove (Matte) which is probably my favourite out of the four. It is a true nude with brown-beige undertones which warm it up and successfully keep it from being too "fleshy" or stark on your lips. Back with the pinky-browns we have Twig (Satin) which is a stunning lip shade, best described as a muted brownish pink - soft and flattering on most skin tones. It is darker and slightly duskier than Brave and the satin finish gives your lips a lovely, semi-glossy finish. Finally there is Velvet Teddy (Matte) which has possibly the most adorable name ever for a lipstick! Velvet Teddy is a lovely pinky-beige, slightly warmer than Honeylove with a flattering brown tone to it, making it a perfect, toned-down choice to pair with a heavy, smokey eye or with a neutral lip liner to give your lips a fuller look. All lipsticks available from MAC counters and online for £15.50.

Did you receive any lipsticks this Christmas? Which shades are currently on your wish list? Also I just want to wish all my amazing readers here on Pearls & Poodles a very happy New Year and a healthy, joyful 2015!

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