What I got for Christmas...

I hope everyone had a lovely Christmas break and had a sparkling NYE! I sympathise and am with you all getting back into the slog of the daily grind, waking up at the early hours of the morning, hair stood on end and in a state of constant confusion and delirium until about 11am once the caffeine has kicked in. Eugh. January. 

On a more positive note, this is my first beauty blog post of 2015 #yay. I'm super excited to write this post as I thought I would share with you all what I got for Christmas and relive the happy memories of chilling at home in my PJs. 

As I get older I get more and more used to the fact that my gift quantity (not quality) should dwindle. Which I'm fine with by the way! Opening presents is no longer the extravagant event that it was when you were eight, when all you can think about is that new Barbie you asked for! Anyway I digress, as I get older I feel like I am just really happy spending time with the people I love and making sure that the children in my family are having the BEST DAY EVER. 

That being said I got thoroughly spoilt this year so I wanted to share with you the goodies I got! My boyfriend and I set a £30 limit as we are hoping to do things to our house this year so we thought we should be sensible. The boy did good. He bought me the Sali Hughes book Pretty Honest, Real Techniques makeup sponge, a gorgeous leather notepad, a Dior lip balm and lots of other pretty little bits. I really have a keeper. 

My mum and dad also spoilt me and bought me a lovely bag (looks like a cream Cambridge satchel) and a Topshop gift voucher. My brother and his Fiancée gave me the Lena Dunham book, hair bits and a hot-to-trot top from Topshop. And my littlest brother gave me some lovely slippers. 

But it didn't stop there. Every year my boyfriend and I spend half the day at my parent's house and then the other half at his parent's house. Yes, we have two Christmas dinners. When we got to his parent's house we had two big bags waiting for us filled with lovely gifts, including jumbo argan oil Shampoo and Conditioner, some lovely nail varnishes, a little sign for my house saying 'Please remove your Jimmy Choos' which I love! And best of all, they bought me some Converse!

As the boy has quite a big family we do Secret Santa with his sisters and their husbands to save the pennies. Usually we have a limit of £20 per person but this year me and the boy did extremely well as his family had all clubbed together and bought us tickets to see Ed Sheeran! I honestly can't believe how lucky I have been this year! Very spoilt indeed and I am so grateful for everything I have received and very grateful that all my friends and family have started 2015 happy and healthy. 

I hope you were all just as lucky as I was and I hope 2015 has been amazing for you so far. 

Happy New Year! X

HNY love me and Sam x

Estee Lauder Beauty Haul

I count myself very lucky because my work has a deal with Estee Lauder and we get the exclusive white tickets each month. For those who don't know, the white tickets give you access to the factory and basically really good discounts (for example I got the A-mazing Estee Lauder Advanced Night Repair for £49 instead of £69!). Now, I know I have an irrepressible passion for beauty and every bone in my body wants me to go to the factory every single month, but my bank balance won't allow it so this year I've only been about four times. Which, believe it or not, is really good for me.

This year I went with the hope of picking up some really lovely Christmas presents, but as expected my budget was blown on myself. Oops. So I just thought I'd share with you the little treats I bought for myself and how I'm getting on with them.

I went in knowing that I wanted Advanced Night Repair so I was super happy when I saw that smiling at me from the Estee Lauder shelf. When I use this product I swear I wake up and my skin just looks and feels so much better than when I don't use it - an absolute beauty hero in my book. I also indulged myself in the Estee Lauder Advanced Eye Repair - which I'm loving.

On the packaging it says you can use this lightweight serum over or under your normal eye cream but I've been using it alone and it's just lovely. It leaves my under eyes feeling really silky, which at this time of the year is a miracle. I'm not bragging when I say this but I didn't have very deep set wrinkles anyway so I can't say I've seen a huge difference in lines around my eyes but hey - prevention is key, folks.

I also treated myself to some Creme De La Mer beauty goodies. No, don't worry not the full size stuff - I haven't won the lottery. They had these really cute little bags with teeny tiny versions of 'the cleansing lotion', 'the treatment lotion', 'the radiance infusion' and 'the hydrating infusion' for £25. I've been using all these products and I'm hooked. Considering re-mortgaging to get my next fix...

I put my thumb in the pic so you can see how small the bottles are!

I've never really bought into the hype of Creme De La Mer just because I know I can never really afford the products, but when I saw Alessandra Steinherr (Glamour's Beauty Director) post a pic on Instagram of some Creme De La Mer products, followed by her gorgeously glowing skin, make-up free I add, I quickly changed my mind. Seriously, take a look at her beautiful skin on Instagram (http://instagram.com/alexsteinherr).

Anyway, I digress, I really am impressed with the quality of these products. The cleansing lotion leaves my skin feeling well, cleansed, but not only that it leaves it feeling plump and moisturised. The treatment lotion is almost like a serum that you pat into your skin before a moisturiser and I feel like I can really see a difference when I've used this because it leaves my skin looking quite perky. I haven't used the other products a great deal because the bottles are so tiny I don't want them to run out but what I have experienced so far I've liked a lot. Oh dear. Finances are going to take a hit.

The last thing I bought was from Origins, their Age Defence Treatment Lotion with White Tea. I have to admit I purely bought this product for the packaging and haven't even used it once yet! But, I will be sure to update you all once I've used it. It certainly smells delicious - just like pink lemonade. Let me know if you've used this and what you think.

Have you had a beauty haul recently? Let me know what you've been buying in the comments below.

xx

November - I'm loving...

As I'm a bit of a beauty harlot, I get seduced by a multitude of beauty products on a weekly basis, so I thought in order to try and put some method into this beauty madness I would share with you all my mid-month beauty favourites of what I'm loving that particular month. Seems so fickle doesn't it! But I wouldn't say I'm particularly loyal to any brand, obviously there are certain brands that I adore, however I wouldn't continue using their products if I found something better just because I love the brand - I really am a beauty sl*t, I get around.

So first on my list of what I'm loving this chilly November is an amazing eye rollerball from Trilogy - CoQ10 eye recovery concentrate. This is one of those things that if I'm totally honest about I had forgotten I had. I reached for it at the beginning of the month to trial a new eye cream and was reminded all over again just how amazing this product is. I suffer from pretty bad dark circles under my eyes so I am constantly hunting for the latest and best eye products to conceal and brighten my under eyes, but this product I can honestly say is the best one I've used for dark circles. The effect is immediate, my eyes just looked brighter and more hydrated - even my boyfriend could tell which eye I had put it on to test it and that never happens! I would defo recommend this product to anyone wanting a fresher, brighter look under the eyes. You can pick it up online and it's on sale at the moment on Feelunique, here: http://www.feelunique.com/p/Trilogy-Age-Proof-CoQ10-Eye-Recovery-Concentrate-7-5ml

My next product for my November favourites is the classic Elizabeth Arden Eight Hour Cream - this is a must-have for the colder months as it's a total all-rounder that you can use for pretty much everything, from burns to chapped lips it works for all. I particularly love lavishing my lips with it to keep them supple through their daily battle with air con. It's also really soothing for my eczema that I tend to get on my hands when it starts getting colder. I just have it by my desk and smother it on throughout the day to keep my eczema moisturised. You can this from most drug stores like Superdrug and Boots, or online, here: http://www.boots.com/en/Elizabeth-Arden-Eight-Hour-Cream-Skin-Protectant-50ml_9783/

I'm feeling pretty pasty right now so a product I like using is James Read Sleep Mask Tan, it basically gives your face a gorgeous glow while you sleep. It's a perfect mix of Aloe Vera, Cucumber, Hyaluronic Acid and Red Algae so it moisturises and soothes the skin overnight while gently tanning the face so you wake up with a gorgeous glow. Or if you're going out for some drinks you can slap some of this on for 2 hours before you go out and wash it off for a subtle glow. This is around £25 and is totally worth it! http://www.jamesreadtan.com/Shop/sleep-mask-tan-face-50ml

I think I'm going to leave it there for my November favourites otherwise I could go on for hours. Let me know your favourite products this month and also keep an eye on my Instagram page for the latest products I'm using and what I'm loving!

My Beauty Heroes - Part Two

Here is the second helping to my post from Thursday about my beauty favourites, check it out if you haven't read the first post. I was swept up in the beauty awards I've been reading about and decided to share which products would get a gold star from me!

Thursday's post focused on skincare and hair, and this one will be looking at my favourite body care and cosmetic products. I'm sure I've probably forgotten loads so if there's something you think I've missed then please comment. 

All these products mentioned are my favourite products EVER, and I'd love to hear yours. Please be sure to tag me in any of your blog posts or Instapics (@pennyw28)

Body care

Moisturiser - Body Shop Coconut Body Butter (great for eczema sufferers)

Self-tanner - Rodial Brazilian Tan

Exfoliator - This may be controversial but my favourite exfoliation is from using my little gloves that I got from Primark!

Hand Cream - Aveeno Hand Cream

Body Oil - Bio-oil

Make-up

Foundation - Mac Mineralize Satinfinish

Primer - Clarins Beauty Flash Balm

Under eye concealer - YSL Touche Eclat

Concealer - Mac Studio Finish

Blusher - Charlotte Tilbury Beach Sticks

Bronzer - Benefit Hoola Bronzing Powder

Eyeshadow - Revlon Colourstay pallet in Addictive

Mascara - Benefit They're Real

Lipgloss - Clarins Instant Lip Perfecter

Do you agree with any of my winners? I'd love to hear what you think. Also, I'm thinking of doing a giveaway soon, so please be sure to follow me and stay tuned for an update!

My Beauty Heroes - Part One

It's award time in the beauty world at the moment with many magazines announcing their big beauty winners, and this got me thinking - which beauty products would be my award-winners?

My beauty collection is a tad like a beauty bazaar; I've got all sorts - which I attribute to my amazing time working in the beauty industry. I was lucky enough to be able to go to industry events which allowed me to try a number of different products (the dream!).

This post has been really hard to research because I've been trying to use all my products to make sure I'm being fair. But this means I've fallen in love with all my collection again! I also have so much to talk about that I'll have to split this post into two - this one will be skincare and hair and the next one will be make-up and body, which I will post on Sunday.

It's been really tough to pick my beauty heroes, but here goes…

Hair

Shampoo - Trilogy Smooth and Nourish Shampoo

Conditioner - Milk_shake Colour Maintainer Conditioner

Styling product - Percy and Reed Wonder Balm

Dry Shampoo - Klorane Gentle Dry Shampoo with Oatmilk

Hairspray - L'Oreal Elnett Volume Excess

Face

Moisturiser - Liz Earle Skin Repair Moisturiser

Serum - Eau Thermale Avène Soothing Serum

Night treatment - Estee Lauder Advanced Night Repair

Eye cream - Clarins Eye Flash Balm

Multi-tasker - Eau Thermale Avène Water Spray, obviously!

Lip balm - Dior Crème de Rose (I think this is being reformulated at the moment so I'm intrigued to try the new version and see if it lives up to the old one)

Face mask - Obviously this depends on what you are using the face mask for, but the one I always feel refreshed and bright after is Liz Earle Brightening Face Mask

Cleanser - Emma Hardie Amazing Face Moringa Balm

Face self-tanner - Clarins Instant Smooth Self Tan (mousse texture)

If you'd like to hear more about why I love any of the above products then let me know and I'll do an individual blog post on them and why they're awesome!

Look out for my post on Sunday to hear the rest of my favourites, also let me know what your favourites are. I'm also thinking about doing a giveaway soon so please follow me and stay posted for the details. 

Autumn beauty trends to trial

I thought for this blog post I would share with you some of the wearable trends I've been seeing around and what products I would use to achieve these fab looks. I have to admit I am a summer girl through and through, so a part of me dies a little inside when the weather changes in October (especially with all this rain we've been having in England). But I'm looking beyond this dull weather at the beautiful trends we have to play with this autumn.

Some of them are easy to pull off and others may seem slightly scarier. 

If Halloween isn't a great opportunity to trial these looks then I don't know what is! I reckon let's just be bold and just go for it! Share with me your pics on Instagram @pennyw28

Trend #1 - Dark grey / blue nails

Difficulty rating - Easy-peasy

The colour of the season is Chanel's Orage, which is a mix between a dark blue and dark grey. Chanel seem to always navigate the trends when it comes to nails but we must remember there are other great nail varnishes out there for a fraction of the cost. Barry M for example are fab for a glossy mani and for just £3.99 a paint pot, it's a bargain! My top pick to achieve the dark nails look is Barry M (Grey). While they may lack imagination and creativity with the nail colour name, I promise they make up for in highly pigmented, long lasting colour.

Or you could adapt this trend to suit you more and opt for an elegant pastel grey tone - I reckon this would look amazing against pale skin tones. My fave for this look is Bourjois So Laque in 003 BCBeige

Trend #2 - Mauve eyeshadow

Difficulty rating - OK, this could be tricky

I love this look because I have brown/green eyes so it really brings out the green in my eyes. But what I love even more about this trend though is it literally suits everyone.

Chanel Illusion D'ombre in 83 Ilusoire is a beautiful deep purple with specks of glitter in to make your eyes pop. This shade suits everyone and is so light that you can build up the look to suit what you want. The first few layers go on as a grey / purple shade and then as you build it up the purple really starts to present itself.

Or you can try Stila shadow pots in Iris. This is a really plummy shade and immediately gives amazingly pigmented colour on the lids. Pair this with a smudging of black kohl liner to give the eyes some definition and lashings of mascara.

Stila (left) and Chanel (right)

Stila (left) and Chanel (right)

Trend #3 Black cherry lips

Difficulty rating - Oh em gee, I couldn't ever pull this off!

I admit I can be scared of bold lip colours, I just feel that everyone is staring at my lips. I remember one time I wore a bold red/orange colour and one of my guy friends came up to me half way through the night and said these killer words: "Alright there smudgie?!". I rushed to the loos and spotted the horror of all horrors, my lipstick had smudged all over my top lip, great!

But fear not, I told myself I will continue to persevere! So, back on the lipstick horse I rustled through my collection to find colours to suit this trend and came up with the following: Rimmel's Kate lipstick in 04 (a deep cherry purple colour), Revlon's Super Lustrous lipstick in Berry Couture and Rimmel's lasting finish in 128 Starry-eyed. The latter is probably the most black cherry-esque, but I think when it comes to dark colours on your lips find one that you feel comfortable with and that lifts your complexion. When testing lipsticks use your fingertips as experts say this is the most similar part of your body to your lips.

From left to right: Rimmel Starry-eyed, Revlon Berry Couture, Rimmel 04.

Of course, the ever popular trend of full eyebrows is here to stay for the autumn as well. I've taken a while to get on board the thick eyebrow train, but now I'm on I'm never getting off. I love the definition they give to my face.

Other trends showing themselves are high ballerina buns, low voluminous ponytails and lips coated in colourful glitter. If you're testing any of these out please share with some photos with me, I'd love to see what you're up to!

High flyer? More like dry flyer

Reading this week's Stylist magazine online, one particular article caught my eye - How to get upgraded on a flight. The article shares top tips in the form of a handy infographic (who doesn't love an infographic?) on how to guarantee an upgrade on your next flight. The advice includes buying treats for the cabin crew, dressing like a business woman and booking the flight using your titles should you be a Dr or a Judge etc…

I can't speak for everyone but I am highly unlikely to do any of those things. I have also tried to get upgraded before on a trip to NYC and failed miserably. It was on a flight just after the Iceland volcano so our flight was so empty. I thought I'd take my chances and ask in the nicest possible way to be upgraded to business class as there were empty seats, but sadly for me the cabin crew were having none of it. On the plus side, the flight was so empty that my boyfriend and I had our pick of the seats and could sprawl out along an entire aisle, so I can't really moan too much. For those of you who like me won't be trying any of these tips out anytime soon, I thought I'd share with you my own top tips for being as comfortable as you can be down in the tin can that is most economy flights.

How to treat your skin

We know that flights suck all the moisture out of your skin so it's important during the flight to keep your skin hydrated, so you don't get off the plane and start your holiday looking like a little prune.

My ultimate number one product, won't get on a flight without it, is Eau Thermale Avène water spray - it's genius. You can spritz away throughout the flight and it leaves a dewy glow on your skin and soothes any dryness. Also, on the plus side it's very subtle so you don't look like you’re a sweaty mess to the passenger next to you *thumbs up*

Clarins HydraQuench Cream-Mask is also a winner for flights. Apply this to bring life back to the thirstiest skin. It will leave a white layer on your skin, but you'll be surprised how quickly this sinks into the skin desperate for moisture. You can leave this on for as long as you want to, and when you've had enough soak a tissue / cotton pad with your Avène water and gently remove the residue.

Another hero would be the Elizabeth Arden Eight Hour Cream. It's perfect for any flaking, dryness, peeling… need I go on? I actually only use this on my lips for a much needed moisture seal, but I know a lot of people who apply a thin layer over the entire face to prep for flying.

Easy make-up post-flight

Although I think it's important to try and go make-up free during the flight, we all want to start our holiday looking and feeling our best so here's my favourite, low maintenance make-up to perk-up your face post flight.

Apply Rimmel Wake me up concealer under the eyes and buff in Chanel Les Beiges sheer powder into the skin for a healthy glow. Dot Charlotte Tilbury Beach Stick (I love Formentera) onto the apples of your cheeks and blend up and out for a flushed natural glow. Coat your lashes with Benefit They're Real to open up your eyes and if you're feeling like you need extra oomph then opt for Charlotte Tilbury's Colour Chameleon sticks, I use Bronzed Garnet. Finally, add a pop of moisture and colour to your lips with Dior Lip Glow, which is a balm that brings out the natural colour of your lips. And you're good to go!

If you're going on a winter sun break, or perhaps skiing, let me know how you get on with your flight beauty regime.

It's Love - Benefit's Tinted Balms

This product is something I've been waiting for a very long time. I love a bright statement lip but because I'm not a lover of the shape of my own lips (that sounds odd saying that) I rarely indulge in a hot-to-trot bold lip colour. I tend to just enviously gaze - sometimes a bit too much - at women who can pull off a lobster red lip staring longingly at their full, colourful pout.

It's strange though, even though I don't tend to wear bright colours on my lips, I think shopping for lip colours and blushers is my favourite thing to shop for, purely because the colours suck me in. It's just a shame I can't find the confidence to wear a bright colour. Until now…

I have searching for the perfect tinted lip balm for YEARS. And now I've found it, it is my soul mate, the Adam to my Eve, the Gin to my Tonic, the marmite to my toast... Yeah yeah ok, you get it… In my search before now I've never really found the right formula for me - either too sheer (Nivea rose lip balm) or too full (sometimes the Sleek Pout Polish, sorry). But this has all the answers.

Benefit tinted balms come in four different shades (and I'm keeping my fingers crossed for more). Each shade matches one of the lip and cheek stains from Benefit so you can look pretty and flushed with the cheek stain and then top off your look with a splash of matching colour and moisture for your lips. I have tried all the shades but the two I have bought are Benebalm (rosy red colour) and Lollibalm (a candy-orchid, purply colour). The other two, Chachabalm (coral colour) and Posiebalm (pinky flush) but were both lovely as well but I had to limit myself and these didn't show up as well as the others on my lips.

The balms promise to condition & hydrate with mango butter and sodium hyaluronate, giving you very soft and full looking lips. I can honestly say they do. I've been wearing mine in this sweltering heat that we've been lucky enough to have and my lips still feel very plump and hydrated. Not a dry patch or flake in the room.

At £14.50 these balms are pricier than what you would expect to pay for a lip balm, but I think they are worth it and I'm really happy with my purchase. If you just want a sheer but noticeable flush of colour on your lips these are for you.

http://www.benefitcosmetics.co.uk/product/category/makeup/lips

YSL Baby Doll Kiss and Blush - Don't mind if I do

On my lunch breaks I always tend to find myself wandering the beauty hall of Debenhams lusting after many beauty must-haves, and today was no different.

This afternoon I found myself hovering around the YSL counter, which was no surprise as I tend to love YSL around spring time due to their pretty, punchy colours.

I came across the Baby Doll Kiss and Blush, which forgive me if I'm behind the beauty times, but it was the first time I'd heard of it. Well, let me tell you, I will be back to purchase this on pay day!

YSL say: "A hybrid between a lip colour and a blush, this innovative air-whipped formula allows for an instant application on both lips and cheeks. With a luminous matte finish, colour is easily buildable from a soft and natural look to a more intense sophisticated look. The patented "hidden pearl" applicator is customised to glide perfectly on the lips and to allow the optimal amount of formula to be dotted on the cheeks."

I tested no.8 Pink Hedoniste, which in the bottle looked like a light peachy pink. Normally I'm wary of cosmetics that look peachy pinky as they tend to not show up on my skin or completely wash me out (I'm quite yellow toned). But, let me tell you, this was SHA-amazing!

The colour made me look like I had a real natural flush on my cheeks, and on the lips it enhanced my natural lip colour adding a pinky girly wash of colour.

The packaging is gorgeous - it is in a small tube like lip gloss so it's easy to transport around with you and apply on the go. What's more is there are 12 divine colours to choose from.

Put simply, I love it. At £27 it is pricey, is it worth it? Answer: yes.

Get yours here: http://www.yslbeauty.co.uk/make-up/lips/baby-doll-kiss-blush?gclid=CPvp-LDDnL4CFYXItAodCToAnA

Sleek Make-up's Pout Polish Is The Bomb!

Wow, I feel awful - I haven't blogged for almost seven months. That's a lifetime in blog years and I deserve a slapped wrist. So much has happened in seven months, so I'll try and fill you in one short paragraph… I've bought my house with my boyfriend, which we are loving, I've been to Ibiza, I've had a birthday, I've taken up hula hooping and managed to do the race for life while hooping, I've spent a shocking amount of money on makeup and skincare, I've booked a holiday to Berlin for November and my boyfriend's sister welcomed into the world a gorgeous baby boy. All in all, a great seven months! To ease me back into the blogosphere I just wanted to do a quick post about what I'm loving right now. With this confusing weather my skin is really suffering, but it's my lips that suffer the most in this strange, one minute warm, next minute freezing weather. I need constant moisture to keep my lips supple, but in the dull winter I also crave a pop of colour for my lips, but I've always found it difficult to combine those two requirements. That was until I found Sleek Makeup's Pout Polish. These little pots are so moisturising, plus they smell fantastic and have SPF15. When you see the colours in the tester pots they look really bright, but they are more subtle when applied to the lip. If you are seeking a bolder colour, you could wear the balm over a lipstick for that extra wow-factor or mix and match to customise your own desired colour. These were only around £5 from Superdrug and I really recommend them as a budget buy for winter. They don't last particularly long, but I am always topping up my lip balm so that doesn't really bother me. I bought Raspberry Rhapsody which is a magenta/purple kind of colour, which is amazing and I also bought Peach Perfection, the soft peachy colour looks amazing in the pot but for me it's just a bit too subtle on the lip - but it's great for someone who is looking for a really subtle, barely there look. Overall a great cheap buy that does what it says on the tin!