LOLA IT Girl Range

LOLA is an exciting New British designed make up brand. Created by professional make-up artists, LOLA offers a wide range of colours, High quality textures and professional artistry tools. LOLA is retailed exclusively at Marks & Spencer.

To date, the only products I have ever owned from LOLA was a miniature kabuki Brush which I got in a beauty box and it happens to be pretty fantastic and one which resides in my everyday work make-up bag and a finishing brush which came in a You Beauty Discovery Box.  So when I was offered the chance to try out some of the make up from the range, I jumped at the chance.

The products found in the IT girl range are inspired from three of the periods (60s and 79s) most iconic IT Girls - Edie Sedgwick, Debbie Harry, Angie & David Bowie.  The range features Lip Gloss, 6 eyeshadows, Automatic pencil, Eye Pencil, an intense lipstick shade, Matte Lipstick, 3 nail polishes.  I have some of the products** from across the three looks - Icon, Factory Girl and Studio 54 which are Eyeshadow in Satinado which is a dusty pink shade, a eye pencil in gold dust and a lip gloss in 009 which is Hot Pink.

The first thing I noticed about each of these products is how lovely they look within their packing, the white writing on a black background looks very classy to me and really standing out.  Then the actual product inside is just amazing. 

Both pinks shades suit most skin tones, even mine which is very pale and the lip gloss and eyeshadow can be used to give a light smattering of colour or built up to give a really edgy shade, depending on your preference. 

Have you ever tried a product from Lola?

Birchbox Supporting CoppaFeel!

I have just received the October box for Birchbox and it is absolutely fantastic again this month! Supporting CoppaFeel!, whom if you haven't read the few posts ive done about them here is a little background to them. 

CoppaFeel! aims to stamp out late detection and misdiagnosis of breast cancer by ensuring that people know that signs and symptoms of breast cancer, know what their boobs look and feel like normally, check their boobs regularly throughout their lifetime and have the confidence to seek medical referral when they detect abnormalities. Currently 5% of diagnosed cases are already at stage IV with breast cancer being the second most commonly diagnosed cancer in women under 30 in the UK (181 new cases diagnosed and 12 deaths annually). CoppaFeel! strives for a country where no one dies of breast cancer because of late detection or misdiagnosis. The charity receives no government funding and relies solely on voluntary donations.  As October is Breast Cancer awareness month, this is such a good idea of Birchbox to do a collaboration.

Inside the box this time as you can see, there is this amazing pink make-up bag which is the perfect size for fitting everything within the box in it! The idea behind the products is to focus inward on health and wellbeing with the products to help you 'work it' and to get motivated to tackle whatever your day brings.  So inside my box there is:

KMS California Free Shape Hot flex Creme - Apply it to towel dried hair and comb through before drying.  It is said to smooth curls, waves and/or frizz. This is a 50ml sample.

Cindy Crawford Meaningful Beauty Glowing Serum - A Sumptuous radiance-enhancing anti-ageing serum to be used in the morning before your moisturiser or anytime for an instant pick-me-up.  This is an 8ml sample.

Balance Me Cleanse and Smooth Face Balm - This is a nourshing cleanser which uses oatmeal powder to exfoliate dry and dead skincells. Perfect for normal-dry skin but also balances oily skin too.  This is a 40ml sample.

Shaveworks The Cool Fix - Said to be a genius cooling gel lotion that treats ingrown hairs, razor bumps and redness after hair removal.  Can be used morning and evening until the redness fades.  This is a 29ml sample.

Pixie by Petra Shea Butter Lip Balm - I have Ripe Raspberry and when used on the lips it does leave a hint of colour which you can work up to a much bolder colour should you wish.  Using Shea butter, this lip balm leaves your lips feeling soft and smooth.

The final item is the Birchbox Lipstick pen which I love, it is such a brilliant extra item to have and one that will appeal to most beauty bloggers.  

Finally the most important aspect of this box is Copping a Feel, knowing your Boobs can save your life!  Inside the box on the pink card is a little and it features some really useful and important information and this is it:

I hope everyone who got this box or who is reading this post looks at the instructions on this card and does CoppaFeel!  It is so important and as someone who has three friends at various stages with the disease, I can't tell you enough how important it is to check!

What do you think to this months Birchbox?

Make-up by Lush

Did you know Lush, the shop we all know and love for bath bombs and Snow Fairy also did make-up? Well as part of Vogues Fashion a Night Out (VFNO) I went along to Lush in South Molton Street here in London to watch a make-up demonstration by Lush Colour Expert Charlotte Howe, which was well and truly fascinating to firstly see everything applied right in front of me and secondly to ask for advice and many many questions as I could possibly think of.

After the event, those present were given the chance to choose their own product, quite a trauma when presented with so many colour options and choices, but in the end I opted for an eyeshadow called Sophisticated which is described as being:

"A shimmering taupe cream eyeshadow made with soothing and enduring ingredients for those times when only a refined appearance and attitude will do. The ultimate all-rounder and can be used wherever you want to highlight with a shimmering bronze. The colour will last and last: like all our eyeshadows and liquid eyeliners, it is made from a softening base that carries the colour wonderfully".

Being from Lush it is naturally full of amazing ingredients, yes even in their make-up range and not a single part of it is tested on animals. The inclusion of:

• Cupuacu butter is a soft and nourishing emollient and easily absorbs water. It stabilises emulsions and moisturises the skin. 
• Fresh Rose Petals which are said to be astringent and gently tone the skin, which is why we use fresh rose petal infusion to condition and soothe. 
• Jojoba oil which is an excellent moisturiser and a softener for skin 
• Almond oil for its conditioning effect on skin. It helps to moisturise and hydrate and is packed with vitamin E 

As for the shade, well it is a gorgeous warm shimmery brown, perfect for day or night. I dab it on and blend with my finger.

If that isn't enough, a few days after the event, I went back. I had been torn between sophisticated and a lipstick called Perspective. Yes, a lipstick, a liquid lipstick to be precise and it is absolutely lovely:

So Perspective is described as being:

"A rosy nude long-lasting lipstick for a new look that's subtle and natural. This is a great all-rounder, as - like all our lipsticks - this can be used as an eyeshadow, blusher or highlighter for a natural glow. They are made from the same base that mixes moisturising but easily-absorbed jojoba oil with candelilla and rose waxes. Together, this terrific trio help carry the pigment and lock in the colour without drying out the lips."

As you can it is most definitely a rosy nude and when applied to the lips, it is really moisturising, as though you have applied Dr Lipp over the top of your lipstick and as the colour slowly wears off, and I mean slowly, your lips still feel soft and smooth.  As it says it is full of ingredients to keep your lips feeling moisturised and they include Organic Jojoba, which is an excellent moisturiser and a softener for skin. Due to jojoba oils affinity with our own sebum, it is more readily absorbed and tolerated by the top layer of our skin. In cases where excess sebum is present, jojoba oil can help to dissolve and clean it away.

As I have said, this lipstick is long lasting, I can apply it in a morning before going to work and come lunchtime there is still a hint of colour on my lips, to the point where I am happy to just apply some lip-gloss or balm over the top rather than have to re-apply the lipstick.  Priced at £14.50, for me this is an absolute bargain and it comes packaged in such a cute little bottle, it is hard not to love it.

Have you ever tried any of the make-up on offer from Lush?

You Beauty discovery Box October

For the past few months I have been getting the You Beauty Discovery Box which you can see February, March, April, May, June, July, August and September with previous box contents. My September box arrived a few days ago and there was a lot of excitement around this box from a Facebook Group that I am a member of because of a lipstick from Illamasqua and I have to say, I managed to get myself one and this is the content of my box.

As with every month so far, there are always a few extra treats inside each box and this month we got:

So the Gold Collagen Forte is said to be a new anti-ageing liquid beauty supplement which contains hydrolsed collegen enriched with a uniqe blend of antioxidents (Q10, Acai berry, pomegranate, lycopene, L-Carnosine and reveratrol) to protext against pxodative stress. Sadly it says Age 40+ on the bottle, which I am not, so I won't be using it.

The second treat is a sachet from Cowshed which is an anti-ageing perfecting night serum. Said to be designed for busy women with busy lives, the innovative serum-in-oil hybrid is bursting with natural active ingredients and essential oils that work wonders on your skin whilst you sleep. I love the sound of this, I just wish there was a bigger sachet to be able to really give it a good try.

Handbag Hereos is the theme of this months box and it covers everything from hair, nails, skin, makeup and fragrance. The choices this month was between:

• Wild About Beauty eyeshadow
• Spiezia Organic Facial Cleanser 
• Paul Mitchell® Fast Form® 
• Murad’s AHA/BHA Exfoliating Cleanser 
• MeMeMe Cherub Blush
• Melvita Youthful Day Cream
• Lalique Nilang Fragrance
• Illamasqua Glamore Lipstick
• Crystal Clear Intense Anti-Ageing Serum
• Crabtree & Evelyn Nail Lacquer

I decided to choose the Crabtree & Evelyn nail lacquer and the shade I got was Petal Pink. Described as being a fast drying polish, it is said to glide on to produce a gorgeous glossy colour. Two coats are needed. This is a full sized nail polish which has an RRP £6.

The second product I chose was a Glamore Lipstick from Illamasqua, this is a full sized lipstick priced at £18.50. I have never owned a product from Illmasqua until now, despite visiting the store in Central London numerous times. The lipstick itself came in shade 'Rosepout' which is a nude shade and it gives a satin finish.

So for a £6.95 subscription, my box has a value of around £25 which is more than double the value for money and not a bad box.

What do you think to do this? Do you subscribe to these boxes?  What would you have chosen? If you subscribe, link your post below so I can see what you got.

If you love cosmetics, you'll adore Direct Cosmetics

Do you ever spend hours online searching for a product and then look to see if you can find it a bit cheaper elsewhere? I know I do.  I was recently introduced to Direct Cosmetics by way of email which has been around for over 35 years and they sell authentic cosmetics, fragrances, beauty sets, skincare and much more at discounted prices.  Brands such as Clinique, W7, Elizabeth Arden, YSL, Dior and Decleor to name just a few of the brands.

I was given the opportunity to try out and test some of the products on offer from Direct Cosmetics and this is what I chose:

As you can see there is a real variety on offer and truth be told, I was quite surprised at how many products there was to chose from at such great prices, so I decided to stick to things I had never used but had been wanting to try, you know the ever growing wishlist, well it has got a slight dent in it now.  As for the prices, well this is what my haul is priced at:

• Revlon Just Bitten Cherish Devotion RRP £7.99 - Cost to me £1.50
• Revlon Just Bitten Lovesick Passionee RRP £7.99 - Cost to me £1.99
• Elizabeth Arden Eight House Cream Lip Protection Gloss - RRP 17 - Cost to me £6.99
• Sally Hansen Hard As Nails in Plum RRP £6.19 - Cost to me £1.49
• Elizabeth Arden Mascara RRP £22.00 -  Cost to me £7.99

So as you can see, instead of spending £61, instead my haul came to £19.96 which is an enormous saving!

If this sounds like the kind of site you want to be looking at, they do ship only within Europe, but delivery super quick and everything comes packaged really well and is protected within a box.

Have you ever used Direct Cosmetics? Do you use any similar site?

Have you heard of this website before?

Make-up Revolution Haul

Yes I finally did it, I succumbed to the magic that is Make-up Revolution/I Love Make-up Range. My local Superdrug doesn't stock any of the brand, but in the West End, there is everything you need and much more, so I thought I would treat myself to a few bits and this is what I bought:

Summer of Love Triple Baked Bronzer - My beloved Hoola has almost run out, so I decided it was time to try something new, after all I can always go back to it right? This caught my eye because of the packaging and having had a quick swatch, I think I am going to like it alot! Priced at £4.99 this cute 3D heart-shaped box is just stunning.

Goddess of Love Triple Baked Highlighter - Again, a similar design to the bronze with the 3D heart shaped box, this highlighter is perfect for my complexion and one I am looking forward to using a lot. Priced at £4.99, an absolute bargain.

I want Candy Blusher - I bought this because I loved the swatch in store, it is a beige pink to me, not too neutral, not too pink but a perfect mixture of the two and for £2.99 again it is a bargain.

I Heart Definition Palette - I bought this in fair because these are the shades which closesly match my skintone and as a palette of three you get a Blush, bronzer and highlighter all in one compact with a really handy mirror. Again it costs just £4.99

Make-up Revolution Nail Polish in Heavens above - with over 40 shades to choose from, I was like a kid in a sweet shop and I finally settled on this shade as I don't have one like it.  It is a deep pink shade and for £1 pretty amazing.  The two shades I had actually gone to purchase, Are You Available and You Are Amazing available were out of stock, so I have my eye on the two of those still along with Devil Inside and Heart was broken, which again are two amazing shades!

The final item I bought was a lipstick - oops.  I saw it and just had to have it, I was intrigued by the shape and design, not to mention the shade is just amazing.  The Amazing Care #Happylips in Nude, is everything I want in a nude lipstick.  As I said it was the design which drew me in.  The colour is seen in the inside and surrounding it is Argan oil to add hydration to your lips. Once applied it feels really smooth and almost like a lip butter on the lips as well as leaving behind a glossy sheen.  It costs just £3.

So there you have it, my very first look and purchases from Make-up Revolution and I have to say, I am really impressed with every item so far and don't doubt that I will be adding to my collection.

Which piece from Make-up Revolution do you recommend as a next purchase? Do you have a favourite product?

Naked2 Urban Decay Basics Palette

I finally have my hands on an Urbay Decay Naked palette and it is none other than the Naked2 Basics palette.  Having seen that Cohorted were going to have it on offer, I decided that if I was going to try something, a basics palette was a good place to start and I got it for an amazing price!  With an RRP of £22, I managed to get this with a 30% discount making it just £15.40, how amazing is that?

The palette comes with six cool-toned shades. Five mattes and one satin to highlight and they are:

Skimp - pale nude satin

Stark - nude-pink matte

Frisk - warm grey matte

Cover - muted warm-red matte

Primal - muted brown matte

Undone - deep, smoky brown matte

When I first looked at this palette, I was chuffed with the different shades as they are all ones I am likely to use.  The one issue I've had so far with the other palettes is that I'm not totally sure I would make that much use of them, even though I prefer the natural eye look, to something more out there and colourful. What I love about all of the shades in Naked2 Basics Palette is that they all have a rich, buttery feel to them, which makes the application really easy and Skimp, as you can see from the swatch above, has a slight satin finish to it. Now all I need to get my hands on is the double-ended applicator brush to accompany my palette.

I'm not sure that this palette is yet in sale in the UK, I haven't been able to find it that it is, but keep an out on for the next Cohorted announcement to get one, because for the price I paid, it is more than worth it and I have no doubt I am going to be continuously using it.

Are you a fan of the Naked Palettes? do you have a favourite one?