Studio Make Up Brush Set

My Goddaughter turns 16 in a months time and she is at that age where make-up is a big part of her life. She is discovering what she likes, what she doesn't like, what works for her and what doesn't and like most 16 year olds money is not something she has a lot of.  So when I asked her what she wanted, she mentioned she would like a few bits of make-up and some brushes.

So I've decided to make her up my own version of a beauty box full of products I think she would like and shades that will suit her, please feel free to make some suggestions for brands and things I should definitely include, but when it comes to brushes, Superdrug have some amazing products this today is one I am going to rave about.

Available now for just £5 and yes I did say five pounds, this complete set of brushes from Studio could be yours and they are ideal for my goddaughter, though it will admit I am toying with keeping them for myself! In this set there are five brushes, so that is a whole £1 per brush and they comprises of:

• Eyeliner Brush
• Angled lip brush
• precision eye brush shadow brush
• Blending eye shadow brush
• Powder brush

These brushes were created in collaboration with a professional make up artist and they make an absolute wonderful starter kit.

What do you think to these brushes?

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?

Lookfantastic Beauty Box - October

I bought the September Lookfantastic Beauty Box which you can read all about HERE and I was so impressed, I ordered the October one straight away and it has already sold out. The box offers a great selection of handpicked, must have beauty fixes wrapped in a beautifully presented box and delivered straight to your door. The beauty box will always include a minimum of six products and will offer a selection of skin, hair, cosmetic and body products, catering to every kind of beauty lover.

This month’s box is filled with 7 beauty items and inside you will find some well known and high end brands such as L’Oreal Professional, Gatineau, Balance Me, This Works, Korres and KMSCalifornia and all for £15!

The first item in my box is the L’Oreal Professional Serie Expert Pro-Keratin Refill Shampoo and Masque. The Shampoo cleanses and replesnishes damaged hair for smooth, reinforced feel. Enriched with pro-keratin and incell, hair fibre feels strengthened and re-inforced. The Masque intensively replenishes damaged hair for a smooth reinforced feel. The formula creates a defensive shield providing day to day protection from external aggressors.

Secondly is the KMS California Free Shape Quick Blow Dry in a 75ml bottle. I have never tried anything from the KMS California range, so I am quite looking forward to this because if and when I do blow-dry my hair, it can often end up quite frizzy and and a static nightmare. The spray claims to reduce your blow drying time by up to 50%, reduce friction whilst conditioning lightly and provide heat protection, so essentially a three in one product.

Korres Citrus Shower Gel is next. I am a huge fan of Korres products so was really happy to see this as I haven't yet tried it. With claims of being an uplifting, clean and fresh scent with surprising tenacity. It uses wheat proteins and contains vitamin C and E, zinc and anti-oxidant enzymes to enhance the skin’s immune system, this is due to active aloe’s ability to stimulate collagen and elastin synthesis, which helps reduce the visible signs of ageing.

The next product is Balance Me Facial Expression Filler. I am a huge fan of Balance Me products, ive said it numerous times on this blog how much I love the brand, so I was delighted to see a product I hadn't yet tried in my box and it is a full size product which has an RRP £22. Said to be a hi-tech daily ‘natural botox’ fix for an instantly smoother-looking complexion, it is perfect for targeting fine lines on the forehead, above the lip and at the sides of the mouth and eyes.

This Works Sleep Plus Pillow Spray has made an appearance this month, there was a similar product in Septembers box, but this appears to be a newer edition. Said to act faster than the original spray it is a fast acting natural remedy to help restore healthy sleep patterns for restless sleepers and is clinically proven to provide a better night’s sleep. It contains a potent blend of Lavender which naturally encapsulates to gradually release aromatherapeutic benefits as you sleep. This edition has more of a lavender fragrance and does smell a little medicinal.

As I sometimes go through bouts of insomnia, I love to have products like this around so that should I need them, they are there.

The last product in the box is the Gatineau Paris Collagene Expert Ultimate Skin Soothing Cream . I am a big fan of French skincare, I think here in the UK it is very much undervalued. This cream contains high concentrates of collagen and elastin which helps with the appearance of wrinkles and uneven skin texture. Further ingredient’s are Tri-Collegen complex and Hyaluronic Acid for a smooth and plumped complexion. Putting all of those together your skin is said to benefit from an increase in elasticity, fine lines and wrinkles are visibly smoothed and the complexion feels velvety soft, smooth and plump.

 

I think yet again I have an amazing box and I will use every product, some I have heard of and some I haven't.  I love that the products are said to be sample sized but in reality they are much better than that, big enough to allow you a real opportunity to try and test things to see whether or not they work for you.  I have got Novembers box on its way to me because I have been so impressed and all for just £15.

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.