Too Faced New launches and a few choktails!

When someone says make-up, chocolate and cocktails all in one sentence, it is pretty exciting! Well when Too Faced Cosmetics and Wizard Publicity invited me and a few other Beauty Bloggers along to their Chocktails Mixology Masterclass at the Mixology Studios in Shoreditch last week, I was a little more than excited.

The TOO FACED CHOCKTAIL masterclass was such good fun, honestly, getting to mix your own cocktails was such a laugh and whilst I might not be the next Tom Cruise, I can now make something other than a Vodka and coke! So at the class, we were taught how to mix some amazing cocktails with a bit of something different - each one had a chocolate theme, such as chilli chocolate Martini and I am sure you can imagine a few cocktails in, a bit of drinking and the phrase "salty rim" brought about a lot of cackling.

So in our teams of 3 or 4, mine included the fabulous Grace from Allthatslap, Kat from Tales of a Pale Face and Annie from EpiphannieA after making 4 cocktails under guidance, we were let loose, as part of a competition to create our own cocktail, from scratch - Too Faced Chocolate Orange was born and whilst we didn't win, it actually tasted really nice and I think we were robbed! That said it was good fun.

The aim of the evening was to celebrate the Chocolate Bar & Better Than Sex Mascara plus an exclusive preview of the Fall Collection which launches in mid-August and I can honestly say not only does the collection look amazing, just wait until you smell it, wow!  I shall spoil the surprise with nothing further than that!

The goody bag we received was out of this world, I mean totally and utterly amazing and as you can see from the pictures below, I have a lot of new make-up to play with and share with you over a few reviews that are on their way.

Thank you Too Faced and the lovely Wizard Publicity girls, I hope your heads were not too sore the following day!

Have you ever tried any Too Faced make-up? 

Do you have a favourite product?

Max Factor Facefinity All Day Primer SPF20

I am quite into using Primers at the minute, I have 4 or 5 different ones which I like to change about and the one I am currently really loving is the Max Factor Face Finity All Day Primer which has SPF20. As an item I got in my Glossybox, it has been brilliant testing it out and I have found myself reaching for it more and more, especially in this heat. If I am going to go to the effort to apply make-up then I want it to last as long as possible and not simply slide off my face, and with an SPF20, it is an added bonus that alongside my face cream which also has an SPF20, I have an extra little something.

Described as follows:

"This primer has micro correctors that work to absorb sweat and extend the wear of your favourite foundation for an all-day flawless finish".

The primer is packaged inside this glass bottle which for me add a little bit of luxury because it isn't in a tube that I have to squeeze and it does have a pump action dispenser, which means not only can I control how much I want to use rather than it squirting everywhere and wasting it.

The primer, as you can see is a brilliant white colour, it looks quite thick when you first pump some out onto your hand, but as soon as you apply it to your skin, whether you use a brush or your fingertips, I opt for the latter, it becomes quite lightweight and immediately absorbs itself into the skin. I expect it to take quite a bit of time to sink in, like similar products do. Once it has disappeared there is no trace on your skin, you are left with soft smooth skin and it has no scent to it, which I quite like. It disappears and leaves applying your make-up an absolute dream. It is also mattifying, so if like me you have oily combination skin, you don't have to worry too much about those pesky shine spots appearing mid-afternoon, because they don't seem too with this primer.

I am a huge fan of this primer, I like how it makes my skin feel once it has been applied, it keeps my foundation on all day without feeling the need to re-apply whether I am using fluid or powder foundation and sometime both, it keeps my shine at bay, even in this heat and it is unscented which I prefer.

Max Factor Facefinity All Day Primer £10.99 / 30ml 

Have you tried this Primer from Max Factor?  Do you have a favourite Primer?

Sleeping Beauty Blogger Challenge

A few months ago I was asked to take part in the Sleeping Beauty Blogger challenge with Time4sleep and life has been rather hectic since then, so I haven't kept up my side of the bargain like I should have done.  For this challenge I was sent a lovely box of products to try.

That said, my sleep pattern has been somewhat chaotic and I have either fallen asleep and then constantly woken up on what feels like every hour, had trouble falling asleep or had no problem at all. You know what it is like when you have a busy day ahead so you go to bed early to get a good nights sleep so you are firing on all cylinders and hours later you are still laid there wide awake, even counting sheep doesn't help.

So what do I do when I can't sleep? It is said that you shouldn't do anything that keeps your mind racing around half an hour before bed, such as watching television or being on the computer.  I always complete my nighttime routine of cleanse, tone and moisturise, though in my case it is double cleanse, my new found love.  Then I apply my eye-cream and lip balm and my skin is ready to sleep as am I.

Once in bed if I am not yet sleepy, I do more often than not read, using my Kindle Fire HD for around 30-40 minutes, I have a rule that it is switched off by 11pm on weeknights and then position my sleep mask and wait for sleep to come.  Sleep usually comes in stages which you can read about HERE.

If I have been restless for a few nights in a row, I will ensure I have a relaxing bath before bed, usually something with Lavender, which is something I find really relaxing.

This eye mask has been working wonders for me.  Fragranced with Lavender seeds it is soft, silky and smooth once into position and does a fabulous job at shutting out the light.  For me to drift peacefully off to sleep, it needs to be dark, pitch black in fact, any cracks in the curtains, winds me up and I am in and out of bed to make sure every little bit of light is shut out, adding an eyemask to my sleep time routine, perfect and this one stays in place.

The following morning, we have all done it, woken up with what resembles suitcases under our eyes through lack of sleep and the first thing you grab is concealer.  For the past few weeks I have been using a combination of Dr Organic Aloe Vera Eye Gel and Bourjois Healthy Mix Conclealer in shade Apricot.

The Dr Organic Eye Gel which is infused with Cucumber, Eyebright and Witch Hazel is said to be soothing, restoring, refreshing and anti-aging.   Each ingredient works together to reduce eye puffiness, refresh tired eyes, reduce dark circles and help reduce fine lines and wrinkles.  I keep this product in the fridge (and there is a full review of it coming in another post) and when applied to the eyes it does feel instantly soothing and does help reduce the puffiness but doesn't get rid of it altogether.  Instead having used something like this, I find it is then much easier to apply my concealer and the Bourjois option is much better than I thought it would be.  It glides on under the eye, and I massage it into the skin using my third finger (ring finger if you prefer) and it goes some way towards concleaing those dark circles making me feel and look almost human again.

Aside from those two products, you can always use cucumber slices if you have time in the morning.  Cut two medium sized thick slices, pop them into the freezer whilst you shower, then once you have finished, take just 3-4 minutes of your time to use the cucumber to cool your under-eye and help reduce puffiness, again it doesn't eradicate but it does make a visual difference.

What are you top tips for getting a good nights sleep? Do you have a routine which you follow?

Bobbi Brown Dupe from the High-street!

Every do often you swatch a product and think "ooh that me reminds of X"

Well not that long I was sent this lovely Bobbi Brown Shimmer Brick compact which is described as follows

"For an instant glow that's like moonlight, sunlight and candlelight, all at once, take this full feathery brush, twirl around the compact and sweep across the face. The result is addictive"

It comes packaged inside this wonderfully sleek black palette with the Bobbi Brown logo/insignia clearly visible and you can read more about it HERE from my review.

Then I happened to be in Boots waiting for a prescription and I had 5-10 minutes to wait (dangerous) so was having a swatching session, well I am a beauty blogger after all, when I swatched a compact from Seventeen, called the Shimmer Brick, and it immediately reminded me of the Bobbi Brown compact and therefore is a great dupe.

Now to me, the idea of the a dupe is a product which is similar, not the same and this Seventeen compact for me, is just that.  The Seventeen compact is described as being:

"A shimmering powder that creates a beautiful pink bronzed glow. Sweep a brush through all 4 shades, then lightly dust onto cheekbones"

So what do they look like?

When I swatched both products together, which you can see below, the Bobbi Brown one is the top swatch and Seventeen the bottom one

So not a perfect match by any means but they are quite similar and if you look at the two swatches, I actually prefer the Seventeen swatch because the colour is so stunning, that said the Bobbi Brown swatch is equally beautiful and is one I wear quite a lot.

The Bobbi Brown Shimmer Brick would cost you around £32.50 and the Seventeen Shimmer Brick costs just £4.99 - huge saving!

Have you found a good dupe lately?

Go Balmy Lip Balms from George At Asda

Wondering around Asda on a Sunday morning as you do, getting there too early to pay for your shopping, can lead to my wandering around and buying things on impulse.  My Asda has just had a make-over, nice though that is, nothing is where it was and I find that insanely annoying, I don't take well to change!  

That said, the beauty section is a little bit better than it was, mainly because there are now bits of make-up present, so when I came across these really cute lipbalms, it would have been rude not to pick them up and try them. I had been looking for some little gifts to go into a birthday box I was making and these fit the bill.

Every brand it seems is bringing their own lip balms out, Maybelline did it with Baby Lips, Collection have just done it with their Little Mix branding which you can read about HERE, Barry M have done it with Cor Balmy and Collection also have their Mardi Gras range, so for Asda to get in on the act is not a surprise.

The Go Balmy Asda range comes in four different shades and scents:

No.1 is Mint and the balm is see through, sheer some might say and to go with the mint scent the Go Balmy writing is in mint green.

No.2 is strawberry scented and is a light pink shade again with the Go Balmy wording in a light pink

No.3 is Cherry and the lip balm for this is a much deeper shade of pink, almost red and the writing matches the colour

No.4 is honey scented, this one is quite sweetly scented, though not over-powering and the lip balm is beige shade, an inbetween orange and brown colour whereas the writing on the tube is a bright orange.

Once applied they are surprisingly quite moisturising and there is a very slight hint of the colour when applied to your lips, but it isn't long lasting and they are quite good for wearing over lipstick.

These lips balms are currently on offer for £1.99 but have an RRP of £2.50, so they are definitely worth trying and would make a great gift for a youngster.

Have you tried these balms?

Paul & Joe SS14 Collection

I was recently invited to a blogger event in swanky Mayfair with Paul & Joe.  Before that event, whilst I had heard of the brand, I didnt know much about them nor had I tried any of the products.  

There is something quite fascinating about men who are make-up artists for me and when international make-up artist Craig-Ryan French introduced himself to me, I was immediately in awe.  As the evening got underway as we sat in a theatre style setting eating some amazing nibbles and drinking some fabulous drinks, Craig-Ryan told us about his passion for film make-up and illustrated to us all how he uses Paul & Joe in all of the films he worked on, which was truly phenomenal.

As the evening got underway, we were treated to a demonstration of an everyday make-up look using Paul & Joe make-up as well as being given some handy hints and tips as well as some advice on over-highlighting that brow bone!!  The event itself was to launch the new Paul & Joe’s “Ice cream cool” SS14 collection. One of the products which really caught my attention was the 'Melting Moments' which are ice-cream swirled creamy cheek colours in Berry Sunday, Orange Sorbet and Chocolate Mint Gelate which you swipe your finger over to create a stunning combination of the three colours and guess what - yes it smells exactly like its description!

Then within the actual launch of products there is the massive range of nail polishes which with over 25 shades has more than something for everyone.  The bottles which are very vintage inspired are really stunning to look at.  The polish itself is really glossy and you need no more than two coats to have this fabulous look.  They cost £12 each, so they aren't cheap, but they are beautiful.  I have shade 12 which is called La Piscine, a lovely baby blue shade.

Released back in October 2013, The glossy lip colours are again stunning to look at.  They are available in ten different shades.  Once on your lips, for me they are definitely more of a gloss than anything else and depending on what you are doing, they have a last-ability of a few hours, so not too long wearing, but a lovely splash of colour.  I have shade 4 which is described as being Flamingo an invitingly juicy coral.  They cost £20 each.

The final part of the new collection are the eye shadow palettes which are again beautiful to look at and the best thing about them is that you can choose your case!   There are three different ones to choose from - A Feminine floral case, fun and flirty felines and bursts of flowers which is a bit retro.  Once you have chose your case you simply pop your compact into it.

The compacts are available in eight different trio of shades which you can see HERE and the one I have is no.3 Le Jardin des Fleurs/Garden of flowers and it encompasses a playful combination of fresh green, flower pink and a touch of lavender for the shades.  Not the most pigmented but they do have a great wear time of 5-6 hours, the pink being my favourite and most used shade of the three.  The  cases cost £7 each and the palette trios £23.

You can find all these items at Paul and Joe stockists now - online and in store from Selfridges, Harrods, Fenwick Bond Street and ASOS.

Are you a fan of  the Paul and Joe range? Do you have a favourite product?

Superdrug Glycolic Overnight Peel

I am one of the biggest fans you will possibly ever meet when it comes to Origins overnight mask, for me it has been an absolute godsend and it is one of those products which would quite probably get the holy grail status. But... then I was able to try the Superdrug Glycolic Overnight Peel**.

I haven't used that many products from their own Naturally Radiant range, though I know how popular the hot cloth cleanser became quite a hit with fellow bloggers, but I wasn't tempted to try it.

However, a quick blurb of a product can always change your mind and make you want to read it and that blurb for me was this:"This week sees the launch of the Glycolic Overnight Peel from Superdrug. When applied at night and washed off in the morning, the peel evens skintone and smoothes fine lines and wrinkles, leaving the skin brighter and more refined".

This Glycolic Overnight Peel, contains glycolic acid, vitamin C and fruit extracts such as Kiwi and Mulberry to boost and brighten your skin overnight. These ingredients work together to revive radiance, even out your skin tone and with the glycolic acid it also helps to smooth fine lines and wrinkles.

To use, simply apply a pea sized amount on your fingertips onto your face (avoiding the eyes) and then you leave it on overnight and wash it off the following morning.  Superdrug state that you should use an SPF the following morning after using this product and that is because of the Alpha Hydroxy Acid (AHA) which can leave your skin more sensitive to sunshine, but if like me you wear SPF everyday (regardless of the weather) then you should be fine.

The gel is clear and see through and has a slight fruity scent to it but for me it is more floral and a further look at the ingredients tell me that there is also Lotus Flower extract also included.

So how well does it work?  I have used this gel for the last 4 weeks, not every night because I don't think my skin needs it, but at least twice a week.  Once applied on the skin, it does take a while to sink in and settle as it is quite watery, so it is best to apply at least 20-30 minutes before going to bed.  The following morning, you cannot feel this gel whatsoever and nor is your face rock hard as though you have applied a clay mask.  I always wash this off in the shower, which is the first thing I do once I have got out bed, with warm water and a muslin cloth. 

As soon as that it is done, the first time I used this product I was surprised to find my skin as soft as it was, you know when something is a lot less expensive than your current product and though you want it to be better, it rarely is, well bloggers I have to say, this one from Superdrug is as good as the Origins overnight mask.  My skin is soft, smooth, feels moisturised, my pores are unclogged which was not something I had been counting on, there is no sign of the slight dryness on my cheeks and I had a radiant glow.  I absolutely love it and I would now think twice about repurchasing from Origins.

This overnight mask from Superdrug has an RRP of £5.99 which makes it an absolute bargain and something I will definitely be repurchasing.

Have you tried this product from Superdrug?  

Do you use a similar product?