Autograph Luminosity Luxe Multi Bronzer

One brand, for me which is underrated and not talked about enough, is the Autograph range from Marks and Spencer.  I have said many times that one of my favourite beauty halls belongs to Marks and Spencer and I have spent many an hour in the store, usually at Marble Arch or on Oxford Street, looking at what new brands have appeared and looking at what M&S own brands have.

One product I have absolutely loved this Summer is the Autograph Luminosity Luxe Multi Bronzer and it comes packaged inside a really sturdy plastic case which has a mirror within the lid, so it is really handy for on the go and holidays and mine has been with me on quite a few journeys and is still in one piece. Described as follows:

This multi-shade bronzer features a range of soft, shimmering tones to create a gorgeous bronze glow on your skin. Select one shade and sweep across cheekbones or blend them all together for a look that’s uniquely you. Whether you want to create some more definition in your features or simply want to give your skin a sun-kissed glow, this bronzer will be a great new addition to your makeup collection.

What I really love is the option to use each of the three shades individually or use them together for a much more intense highlight.

To the left of the highlight, there is a stunning champagne colour which is my favourite of the three, it can be as light or as bright as you want it to be depending on your choice.  In the middle we have a more pinky toned highlighter and for me, this one is perfect for those special night outs when you want your highlight to pop before finally moving onto the peach toned highlight to the right, again, I really like this shade and it has worked so well during the summer months when I have had a bit of a suntanned face.  Putting them all together, what you get with this highlighter is a stunning mix of all three shades in one and again, if you want your highlight to pop, the formula is soft enough to be buildable as well as blendable and if you want it to be slightly less popped, the option to do that is also there.

Priced at £12.50 (here) this is one beautiful product that deserves not to be ignored or left out if you are searching for something new.

*this post contains PR samples and/or Affiliate Links unless indicated otherwise - you can learn more on my Disclaimer page here

Benefit Cosmetics Brow Contour Pro

I think most of us will accept that Benefit Cosmetics know their Brows.  If it hadn't been for Benefit and the lovely Benebabes at Brow Time, I would have given up all hope of ever having brows I could do something with, I am the result of over-tweezed teen brows that never grew back.  Now, I can whip out my brow products and attempt a half-decent looking brow rather than a barely there one and feel much more confident.

My absolute favourite brow product is Gimme Brow, it is the one I have re-purchased time and time again, it is the one product I find the easiest to use, closely followed by Goof Proof.  Then in comes the Brow Contour Pro, a four-in-one brow product that looks remarkably like those multicoloured Biros we used in school driving teachers mad by constantly clicking them to switch colours between red and green.

I was presented with this beautiful package quite some time ago and although it featured on my Instastories, I wanted to make sure I had used the product enough to be able to share my thoughts about it because admittedly, I was happy enough with Gimme Brow and this is a whole new ball game.

For anyone who is obsessed with their brows, I have no doubt that your arsenal of products is not limited to just one, I am sure you have 3-4 maybe even 5 products that you use at any one time. A makeup artist friend of mine uses no less than 5 different products on her own brows every single morning and thinks this offering from Benefit is simply the best thing she has ever seen. 

The multi-tasking brow pencil features a lighter brown shade, deeper brow shade, an edge definer and an arch highlighter which together create clean, shaped brows which have depth and dimension.  

It comes in five different shade options.  The lightest is 01 which is Blonde/ Light, 02 is Brown/Light, 03 is Brown/Medium, 04 is Brown-Black/Light and 05 is Brown-Black Deep.  I have Shade 02 and it works really well with my brow colouring and I could at a push use 03 when I have a brow tint.

What surprised me the most about this product is just how easy it was to use and it does helpfully come with some instructions too:

Press down lighter shade tab and twist until you see product.

• Fill in brow with Lighter shade from start to the arch.
• To switch shades, just press down tab of selected shade until it clicks in place & twist for product.
• Next, fill in brow with Deeper Shade from arch to the end,
• Then, stroke Definer below brow from start to end and above brow from arch to end.
• Blend gently.
• The last step is to apply the Highlighter beneath your arch and then blend outward.

The nib on each of the shades is really soft and even if you apply pressure it doesn't break, it just glides across the skin.

What I like about the shades is that they are not similar or even the same, they are all different.  There is a clear difference between the lighter and darker brown shades and then a stark difference between the definer and the highlighter.  

On sale for £28.50 you can find it at any Benefit store or stand.  Are you a fan of Benefit Brow products?

*this post contains PR samples and/or Affiliate Links unless indicated otherwise - you can learn more on my Disclaimer page here

Mavala’s Ultimate Christmas Gift Guide

Mavala is the world leader in nail care with a heritage spanning over 50 years and for me, if you ask me what Mavala does, the first thing I say is Nail Care, but did you know they do a whole lot more than that? As well as nails, they have products for the hand, feet, face and makeup and they are all created from rigorous research and manufactured in the Geneva factories to impeccable quality demands.

For Christmas, Mavala have some really cute and purse friendly gift sets featuring Tree Baubles, Duo Products, Hand care products and more.  Today I have a selection from the Christmas collection.

The first product is the Mavala Nail Colour Duo. Featuring a duo of 5ml nail polishes which compliment each other for the festive season. My box contains Riga which is a beautiful natural pink shade and to top it off comes Pink Diamond which is full of glitter and incredibly sparkly. 

They come packaged inside a box with an accompanying red bow to give it that special touch. Priced at £9.95.

Next comes something we all need at some point and that is the Mavala Mava+ Extreme Care for Hands. The sun, cold, wind, use of solvents and cleaning detergents can all have damaging effects on the hands which can result in hands becoming very dry and stressed.

With all of that in mind, Mavala designed a cream for very dry and stressed hands, this cream is an intense repairing and moisturising treatment containing Chamomile and Vitamin E to reduce redness and soothe, Shea Butter to nourish, smooth and repair, and a botanical complex which acts as a protective shield to reinforce the skin's barrier defences.  Again, an addition of a red bow makes a lovely stocking filler gift and the cream is priced at £15.70.

The final gift in my Gift Guide from Mavala is the Mavala Nourishing kit and this is one clever kit which has everything you need to look after those nails.  Inside there are three products which work together to ensure your nails are protected and nourished.

The first product of the trio is Mavaderma and it is described as being a protein and essential vitamin enriched nutritive oil that penetrates the pores to feed the nail matrix, in order to accelerate blood circulation and stimulate nail growth.  Matched with the Super Base polish which protects the nail from damage and staining and finally 97 Wichita which is a beautiful nude pink.  Priced around £16.95.

If, like me, you have friends and work colleagues who are obsessed with keeping their nails in their absolute best condition, these sets are just brilliant gift ideas and whether you need a secret santa, stocking filler or just a nice gift set, there is something here which will fit that bill.

Are you a fan of Mavala nail products?

*this post contains PR samples and/or Affiliate Links unless indicated otherwise - you can learn more on my Disclaimer page here