NYX Highlighter and Contour Pro Palette

Since my Benefit Hoola Lite hit pan, I've been looking for a nice contour palette. Which has a nice formulation, pigmentation as well as compact for travel. And I found this gorgeous NYX Contour palette!

To start with the packaging is quite basic with the plastic lid which can be seen as a bit cheap. But I do like that the pans can be removable or changeable. Which will be cheap when you run out, you can just replace it so hopefully it will last a long time.

              

The palette comes with 8 shades : 1 highlighter, 3 powders and 4 contour/bronzers.

Ice Queen – Pearly White toned powder with shimmer 

Soft Light – Nude toned matte powder 

Cream – Matte Banana powder 

Nectar – Peach toned powder with shimmer 

Tan – Soft Brown satin finish powder with reddish undertones 

Toffee – Warm Neutral Brown powder with satin 

Sculpt – True Matte Taupe 

Hollow – Deep Matte Brown 

So I use 'Cream' under the eyes to set any concealer, then soft light over my whole face. Then 'Tan' and Sculpt' as a contour and bronzer (or sometimes a mixture of all). Then for my cheekbones I use 'Ice Queen'. 

You can see a tiny bit of fall out but it might be due to it being so pigmented but its not too bad! It also is such a fine powder meaning they blend really nice and they do also have pigment! 

 

The formulation is really nice and pigmneted which is great! The formulation is also blendable and can create really natural shadow on the cheekbones. As the highlighter is white it looks really nice on my pale skin as well as adding a nice glow.

Overall I really like this palette, pigmented shades and lovely packaging!

Hope you like this post - please follow and comment your favourite palette.

Sarah X

First Impressions: Dermalogica Ultimate Masque Kit

I do love a good face mask, especially one that actually helps your skin. So I was lucky enough to be went the Dermalogica Ultimate Masque Kit , which is ideal for multimasking. I love the concept of multimasking as you target specific areas with masks which targets them.

The kit contains 4 different face masks: 

• Gentle Cream Exfoliant
• Skin Hydrating Masque
• MultiVitamin Power Recovery Masque
• Stress Positive Eye Lift

The start with the packaging is really cute, the ones in the set are minis so will be perfect for travel. But also its a great opportunity to try them. I think the packaging is so nice and clean and does feel quite luxourious.

Gentle Cream Exfoliant 

I do love a verstaile product so I love that this is a mask and a exfoliant in one. The masque contains lactic and hydroxy acid which is for skin smoothing. The exfoliate treatment helps stimulate cell renewal as natural fruit enzymes detach dead skin cells to improve skin texture, as well as aloe vera to help calm and soothe. This mixture of ingredients really interested me and actually works! The next morning my skin felt so soft. I used the masque on my T-zone to help purify the skin and prevent blemishes. 

Skin Hydrating Masque

This masque sounded great as my skin is quite dehydrated at the moment especially one cheek. The masque helps 'stimulate skin's Natural Moisturizing Factor while lycopene-rich Tomato Seed lipids help restore skin's protective barrier, enhancing moisture levels for healthier, smoother skin.' So I used this masque on both cheeks and my makeup applied really nicely the next day. It also adds a lovely glow to the skin.

Multivitamin Power Recovery Masque

This masque helps rescue basically all of your skin. It contains 'concentrated vitamins A, C, E and F help skin recover from damage. Vitamin A helps increase elasticity and moisture content while antioxidant vitamins C and E help shield skin from Reactive Oxygen Species . Nutrient-rich Algae Extract helps moisturize and soften skin, Pro-Vitamin B5 helps nourish damaged skin while botanical extracts of Licorice, Comfrey and Burdock soothe, calm and help decrease sensitivity.' But it also has age smart technology which is an added bonus especially on any fine lines. The masque is great for your whole face, I don't know if layering masks is a thing but I put it on top of the other mask I applied.

Stress Positive Eye Lift 

I do love an eye cream, but I have never actually tried a eye mask before (I would love to try the tissue eye mask!). This one feels so nice and refreshing under the eye especially when you are tired. 

The 'cooling cream-gel masque energizes skin to reduce visible signs of stress.' The formulation 'minimizes the appearance of puffiness and dark circles, lifts the eye area and helps restore skin barrier integrity'. It also contains a mixture of Wild Indigo Seed, Sea Water Extract and Arctic Algae to help counter the look of puffiness and tired eyes. When trying this mask I felt a real change, especially in the application of makeup as well as helping puffiness and my dark circles. 

For all these masks you can leave the mask fro 10-15 mins before washing it with warm water. You can either multimask them or use them all over your face or just in targeted areas. 

From my first impression these masques are love these masks - the formulations are gorgeous and your skin feels soft and refreshed! And I can't wait to try them again.

All of these masks are able to buy separately, but this set is available at checkout when you are spent £70 on Dermalogica - link

Hope you have a lovely weekend!!

Please follow and comment your favourite mask.

Sarah X

What's In My September Makeup Bag

Hope you are having a lovely day! In today's post I wanted to share 'What's In My September Makeup Bag', as I have been loving/trying some new things as well as some old favourites.

Brows and Eyes

After I used my trusty TB Brow palette, I've been using the Rimmel Brow This Way Fill & Sculpt Eyebrow Definer Pencil. The pencil is so good with the triangular brow definer and a spoolie on the other. The formulation is really nice and a good colour match.

For my eyes, I've been using the Too Faced Chocolate Bar Palette as it's a range of lovely shades. Mainly neutral shades as this month have been quite lazy so far. So brown in the crease with pink shimmer over the lid creates a gorgeous but simple eye. Then using the Maybelline Lash Sensational Luscious Mascara on my lashes is my eyes complete!

Face

Even though I've been wearing more simple makeup this month I still love a full coverage foundation. To cover up any decolorisation, espeically my red cheeks as well as any blemishes. So I love the mix of the Rimmel Match Perfection Foundation and the L'Oreal Infallible Full Coverage Foundation. The formulations of the foundations are really nice - long lasting and full coverage!

For the rest of my face, I've been trying and loving the NYX Highlighting and Contouring Light Kit. So the banana powder (cream) under my eyes and the 'Soft Light' on the rest of my face. Then for bronzing and contouring I use a mixture of the first 3 powders on the bottom row (Tan, Toffee and Sculpt). The powders have a mixture of warm and cool tones, which create a sculpted look. Then for highlighter I use the 'Ice Queen' shade on brow bone, inner corner and top of the cheekbones -this adds a lovely glow to your skin .

Lips

As I've been loving more natural makeup this month, so a clear gloss has been my go-to. So I've been reaching for the Tanya Burr 'Champagne Toast' Lipgloss was it has some glitter in it. It makes your lips look plump and the packaging is cute. 

I hope you like this post, please follow and comment on what products you've been loving this month.

Sarah X

L’Oreal Elvive Extraordinary Oil Coconut Hair Mask

I have previously written about the L’Oreal Elvive Extraordinary Oil Coconut Hair Mask in my My Summer Hair Saviours. But as I love the product so much, I wanted to write a more detailed post.

To start with the packaging - it's simple but effective. With the orange lid and the white tub. It's also so affordable for the maount of product you get. It's only £5 and does last so look - I purchased this at the earlier this year (easter time, i think) and I'm onyl half way through the pot.

I have previously mentioned that I'm a big fan of oil based hair products as I have dry, frizzy hair. So any sort of product that doesn't make my hair frizzy / big is AMAZING! This product also has the added bonus that it smells gorgeous, with the hints of coconut -summery.

At the moment I love using after washing my hair as a leave conditioner but it's a verstaile product so can be used;
> In shower: after shampooing, leave in hair for 2 to 3 minutes before rinsing for easy detangling.
> As a finishing touch: apply a small amount on dry hair to calm frizz and tame flyaways. 

> Overnight: apply to dry hair and leave on overnight for intense nourishment, or for 5 minutes before washing.

The formualtion is really nice - rich but soaks into your hair really easily. Leaving your hair feeling so soft and sleek; or for my hair soft wavey curl.

Hope you have had a lovely weekend and hope you like this post.

Please follow and comment your favourite hair products.

Sarah X

What I've Been Watching, Reading and Listening To Lately September 2018

 Happy Friday!! Over the past few months, I have started watching some new shows (as I've got Netflix),  reading some new magazine issues and listen to new music. I'm one of those people who binge watching/listening things on repeat for a while.

Watching 

I finally got Netflix this month so I might have binged watched Gilmore Girls. I love it, I started it 3 weeks ago and I'm already on Season 7 (oops!!). It's one of those comforts shows that you can watch whenever and whatever your mood. Another show I've been watching is Suits; which is the show I was watching before Gilmore Girls. I do love a detective show and this one is so good!

Youtube is also a constant thing I watch; these few months I love watching Cimorelli. The music covers are so good; my favourite is 'Symphony' or 'Too Good At Goodbyes'

Reading

I don't actually read much, well I don't read books, but I do love to read magazine My favourite magazine this month was Vogue as it was the 'The Big Fashion Issue'. I love reading the articles, photography and I seem to have written a rather long wishlist ;) I also love the mini freebies that they also have in the magazine! 

Listening

Technically this one is listening/watching as I saw Hamilton last week, which was AMAZING!! This was the first musical I have gone to that I hadn't heard the full soundtrack about 20 times before had -which was actually a really nice change. The music is so good, my personal favourite song is 'Burn' or 'My Shot'. Since watching it, I have listened to the soundtrack quite a bit. It's actually a hard soundtrack to sing along to as there's quite a bit of very fast rap which I can't do ;)

Hope you like this post and have a lovely day! 

Please follow and comment on what you've been watching, reading and listening to lately.

Sarah X

My Past Week in Lipsticks #9

THANK YOU SO MUCH FOR 1000 FOLLOWERS ON BLOGLOVIN!! I love my lipsticks; the range of colours (well lack of for me!!!) and formulations. So I really like to change it up every day and change it depending on the makeup look. 

Monday - Recently I’ve been reaching for glosses or shine finish lip products, so on Monday, I used the Lancome lip lover in 337. I love the formulation and the pigmentation is so good for a gloss. The shade is a bright pink therefore great for the end of summer.

Tuesday - I wore one of my most recent lipstick purchases the L’Oreal Colour Shine 658. It's a gorgeous pink nude with a shine finish with the hydrating finish due to its oil infused formulation.

Wednesday - As I previously mentioned I have loved glosses recently as I went for the Tanya Burr Cosmetics 'Champagne Toast'. Technically its a clear gloss with a hint of sparkle which is great for every day and goes with literally every look. The formulation is really nice and makes your lips look really pumped. 

Thursday - I found an old favourite again this week; Rimmel 045 lipstick. It is a lovely nude lipstick with a gorgeous pigmentation and formulation. The packaging is also really cute with the pink!

Friday - English weather changes very quickly, at the end of last week England started to feel Autumnal and cold ( lots of blankets!). So I wanted to reach for more autumnal 'darker' shades. So I wanted to wear the Sleek 'Shabby Chic' liquid lipstick, as I really like the formulation and pigmentation. 

Saturday - One of my most used lipsticks of autumn last year was the NYX Soft Matte Cream in 'Cannes'. And as it's started to become autumnal I wanted to use the lip cream again. The formulation is so good, long lasting and pigmented.

Sunday - Sundays are a day where I like minimal makeup as I just wanted to wear a simple oil-based lip balm; Avène Cold Cream is literally a miracle worker for the lips.

Hope you all had a lovely week and a weekend!! 

Please follow and comment your favourite lipsticks.

Sarah X

What I Use For My Blog Flatlays

Photography is something I love to do and blogging is another, so I've been trying to improve my blogging photos over the past few months. Instagram is one of my favourite types of social media and I have had some lovely comments recently on my photos, so I wanted to share the things I use for my flatlays.  

For the background of all my flatlays, I use Wall Paper (samples - so free!!!) Wall Paper is great for backdrops as they don't have back flash and easy to layer. At the moment, my favourite is the marble on as its gorgeous but I also love the stripe one. Also as its paper, it can sit on any surface and transport so can take it wherever.

Accessories are also a necessity for me to add to the products, whether that's plants, ribbon or candles. The plants are usually faux - the one in the photo is from New Look but I've also used plants from Home Sense. I love pink so I always try to add some into my photos so there is some sort of theme!! Ribbon, kinda of, creates links in photos - I think to make it more than just products. Candles look cute and quite girly, the jars also add some different colours and textures. The candles pictured were actually gifts so I'm not sure where they came from.

I do to level the products so I like to use Trinkets Dishes to place products usually lipsticks! Dishes are also great for items which tend to roll or not stay in one place whilst taking pictures. My usual/the only dish I have is the Zoella lifestyle dish with the rose gold eyelashes.

Finally, similar to the trinket dish, Magazines are a must to add levels to a photo as well as colour. I also to get magazines most commonly Cosmopolitan, Glamour, Elle, Vogue or Blogosphere Magazine. I either use the front cover or certain pages for individual products. My favourite is the effect of a fan of a few magazines showing a range of colours and covers. 

Hope you like this post and hope you have a lovely day!

Please follow and comment on what your blog props are!

Sarah X

My 5 Favourite Things To Do In London

Slightly different from my usual post but London is one of my favourites places to go to. One of my dreams is to live and work in London one day. It's just so fast pace compared to the countryside I love in as well as having lots of opportunities and attractions. So I wanted to share my 5 favourites to do whilst I in London!

1.  I do love to attend a West End Show as I'm a massive musical fan! The last show I saw was Les Miserables in May which was AMAZING and I'm actually seeing Hamilton on Friday. Which I'm very excited to see as the music is so good and it's different to most of the other musicals I've seen. I also love the atmosphere in the theatre - the singing, the storylines, the magic the sets and the talent of the actors/actresses.  
My first West End show was the 'Lion King' when I was 9 and I still remember the outstanding props of the African animals and the music I love was live and not out of the child cartoon. 

2.  Shopping is one of my favourite things to do, so I do love to shop down Oxford Street. The shops are mostly the same as any high street but just much bigger! Bigger shop means greater choice - which is fabulous, however, that does mean there are long queues but if you go at certain times it fine. 
I love Oxford Street especially at Christmas with the lights which are gorgeous and very festive.

3.  Two of my favourite stores to go to are Harrods and Fortnum and Mason. As they are both so beautiful and extravagant, it's a great place to dream of future purchases. Future handbags, clothing, foods etc, for example, one day I would love to own a Givenchy Antigona Bag on a Gucci Soho Bag. I could spend hours going around the food halls, technically most of the time I actually get lost but still! The beautiful cakes, patisseries, restaurants that look lovely and I would love to make my own like that or buy them when I can get away with eating cake (on a health kick at the moment!)

4.   There are lots of lovely tourist attractions in London my personal favourite is visiting Buckingham Palace. Mainly since attending my DofE celebrations at the palace's gardens in May. The gardens are gorgeous but I also love the royal family so love visiting it. I also recently visited it last week with my friends, it was a slight detour from walking from Covent Garden to Harrods. So we had to take necessary photos outside of the palace for the memories.  

5.  Covent Garden is one of my favourite places in London with the markets, shops and performers. But I do love eating at Covent Garden as there are so many lovely restaurants and cafés. There are some lovely pizza places: Franco Manco or HomeSlice. But there also some gorgeous afternoon places with musicians and performers.

I hope you like this post as it's slightly different from my usual post, I hope you also have a nice day!

Please follow and comment on your favourite things to do in London.

Sarah X  

August Favourites 2018

August has been a month with many mixed emotions so, in all honesty, I'm quite glad it's over ;) It also means it's a September which is a month of new beginnings as I'm starting university but also a month closer to Christmas (and I have started to see Christmas things in some shops which I can't tell is a good thing or bad thing). 

However this month, I have tried some new products as well as continued to love some other products.  

Beauty Favourites

I do love my skincare routine and I've been loving the Nivea Daily Essential Night Cream and Dermologica Clear Start Breakout Clearing Booster recently. The Nivea moisturiser is really rich so has helped nourish my skin then the clearing booster has helped any blemishes which have appeared (which seems to be quite often this month!)

I do have naturally dark under eye circles so Maybelline Eye Eraser Concealer has been a lifesaver. With its nice formulation and great pigmentation!

Brows are quite an important part of my makeup routine and I've been loving the Rimmel Brow This Way 'Fill and Sculpt' Eyebrow Definer Pencil recently. The shade is perfect for me and the spoolie bit makes my brows really easy to do.

Thie month was momentous for me as I finally bought the Giorgio Armani Si Perfume after 4 years and I LOVE IT!!!! It smells so good and lasts all day which is amazing.

Other Favourites

This month I went to London with some friends and love it! I've been to London quite a few times and it's one of my favourites places to go. I'm a massive musical fan so I love to go to west-end shows (I'm actually going to see Hamilton on Friday -so excited!!!) I also love shopping so Oxford Street, Carnaby Street, Harrods and Covent Garden are all places I love to go! 

The Great British Bake Off is so back which is amazing!!! Technically there's only been one episode but I'm already obsessed and so glad its back. Even though I do miss Mary Berry and Mel and Sue it still has that comfort show feeling. Another show I've been loving this month is Gilmore Girls - lots of my friends have been recommending it to me for ages but I only just got Netflix. I love it, it's a great comfort show!

Another favourite from this month has been uni shopping - this month I got into uni so I have need to get some supplies for my flat and generally living! I love home shopping - it's so much fun!!!

Hope you like this post and I hope you have a lovely day!

Please follow and comment your favourites from August.

Sarah X