Soap & Glory Smooch Operator Lip Balm

*Soap & Glory Smooch Operator Lip Butter Balm, £6 - Boots    'A super-conditioning lip butter moisture & repair balm for dry, cracked lips. Ultra-moisturising, repairing lip balm stuffed full of soothing oils and butters. Includes wild mango butter, vitamin E, plus argan and rosehip oils to replenish, tone and soften lips sorely in need of affection. Special cooling, soothing formula.'    Since receiving this to review I've been using it non-stop, not that you'd be able to tell from the photos as I've got plenty left! Instead of regular lip balms that tend to coat your lips in a greasy, thick film this isn't sticky or uncomfortable on the lips and you only need the smallest amount of product. As soon as Autumn comes around and it starts getting colder my lips tend to get a bit dry and sore and this has returned them back to their former plump, smooth state. As you can see in the description above this contains lots of lovely ingredients like mango butter, vitamin E, argan and rosehip oil, as well as shea butter, coconut oil, caster seed and almond oil which really aid in nourishing the lips. I apply this with my finger, just dabbing it gently on to the lips and within minutes you feel a cooling, almost tingling sensation. The packaging is all made of plastic and is very light so ideal for chucking in your handbag over the winter months. I also find this to be a great base for lip products as it moisturises the lips without making the lipstick or liner slip around too much.   What's your favourite product from Soap & Glory?

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Mac Treats

Pro Sculpting Cream 'Coffee Walnut' £17.50

Amplified Creme Lipstick 'Girl About Town' £14.00

Everyone needs a treat every now and then, right? I'd had my eye on the Pro Sculpting Cream since I saw a photo posted on Instagram a good few weeks ago and when I finally caved and couldn't resist any longer I went to my local counter to pick one up. The sales assistant had reeled me in, sold me on the shade 'Coffee Walnut' and then just as I was about to make the purchase, told me it was out of stock.. urgh. Luckily though after scouring a few websites I managed to find it on Debenhams and swiftly placed my order, popping 'Girl About Town' in to my virtual basket at the last moment.

The Pro Sculpting Cream's are creamy and incredibly pigmented so you literally need the tiniest amount of product. The shade 'Coffee Walnut' is a deep brown, with olive/ashy undertones which looks a bit intimidating in the pan and when swatched but if used sparingly creates an amazing sculpted cheek. Since discovering Sandra's blog and in particular this blog post I've ordered the shade 'Accentuate' as well to try out her Kardashian-esque contouring/highlight technique.
'Girl About Town' was a last minute decision, I've been uhmming and ahhing over whether to get it after seeing it on Kayleigh's blog as it's not a colour I'd usually go for but I decided to get it anyway! It's a gorgeous deep, fuschia pink and I've really fallen for this lipstick, even if I never wear it out it's pretty and I can wear it around the house and feel like a diva! I also picked up an eyeshadow in the shade 'Cranberry' which I completely forgot to include, but I'll let that have a whole blog post to itself some other time. This was also a purchase made after reading Kayleigh's blog. Enabler! Enabler! Whoever's just employed her for a marketing/research job has picked the right girl because she sure knows how to sell a product!

Have you treated yourself recently?

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Clarins Odyssey Eye Quartet Palette - Limited Edition

  "A collection of four harmonious, long-wearing eye colours with a silky-smooth, mineral texture. Multiple effects, apply dry for natural results or damp for a more sophisticated effect."   *Clarins Odyssey Eye Quartet Palette, Limited Edition, £30   How beautiful is this product?  This is the eyeshadow palette from Clarins Limited Edition Christmas Collection, it comes in a classic red Clarins box and inside you'll find a beautiful golden, embellished palette in a luxurious red velvet pouch to prevent scratches and a little card with ideas on how to use it. Open it up and you have four beautiful shades to play with - all contain shimmer. There's a subtle creamy taupe, a mid tone ashy brown, a deep charcoal brown and then the beautiful gold leaf shadow that steals the show. I haven't ever used a gold eyeshadow like this, it's shimmery, a true gold colour and contains chunky flakes of gold leaf. You all need to go out and swatch it! The palette also has a decent sized mirror and comes with two small, gold applicators - one is a standard applicator and the other is pointed for more precise application.
All four eyeshadows are creamy, well pigmented, long lasting, blend easily and are just a delight to use! You're able to use these either dry, or wet for a more intense look and I find these four shades really versatile. If I want a natural look I'll use all but the golden shade and then if I want a more intense look then I'll add in more of the darker brown and the gold leaf.   I am so in love with this! Not only is it beautifully packaged but the product itself is great quality and it's a welcomed addition to my make-up collection. This palette will set you back £30, which in all honesty I would happily pay for such a stunning product. I have the Odyssey Face Palette on my Christmas Wishlist after seeing featured it on Belles Boutique!  You can find Clarins products in Debenhams or on http://www.clarins.co.uk/   Thoughts? 

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Clarins Skin Illusion Loose Powder Foundation

*Clarins Skin Illusion Loose Powder Foundation, 109 - Wheat, £28 Available in five shades from Debenhams, Boots, House of Fraser, Clarins.   Recently Clarins have launched their Skin Illusions Loose Powder Foundation. As a big fan of Clarins, I was incredibly excited to try this product out especially since I'd been meaning to try a mineral foundation for a while now. I'll start off by sharing with you a little bit of blurb from the packaging..   'A loose powder foundation with an ultra-fine, silky texture with highly effective mineral and plant-base ingredients that work in harmony with the skin to illuminate the complexion's appearance. The result; a beautifully radiant, perfectly even, matte complexion and skin that feels incredibly soft and comfortable. Matte Finish, Light to Medium Coverage, All skin types - even the most sensitive. Oil Free.'   As you unbox the foundation, the first thing you'll notice is the stunning packaging. The base of the product is thick, hard plastic so there's no fear of breakage if you drop it and the golden lid conceals an adorable, mini kabuki brush - which I'll add is incredibly soft and useful. The powder foundation is finely milled and buffs easily in to the skin, blending well and leaving the skin so, so soft! It does have a slight fragrance, I can't quite put my finger on what the scent is but it reminds me of Parma Violets which I love, added bonus. Although this foundation claims a light to medium coverage, it's buildable without becoming cakey so you can easily work your way towards a medium to full coverage whilst still retaining a natural finish.  I've added an up close photo of my skin with the foundation applied below, it's covered almost all of my freckles, evened my skin tone, concealed any redness whilst still managing to look naturally radiant, air brushed and light on the skin. One thing I worry about with powder products is my skin feeling tight or looking dry but I had no issues whatsoever. In terms of longevity, I have incredibly oily skin and found this to last a good 6-8 hours (depending on whether I'm at work, or just running errands) before it needed a light touch up.
Have you been tempted by the Clarins Skin Illusion Loose Powder Foundation?

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Sleek 'Blush By 3' Palette - Lace

Available in Superdrug or from the Sleek website. £10.00 Comes in 5 colour combinations; Flame, Lace, Pink Spirit, Pumpkin, Sugar
Recently the Sleek website was offering 20% off all orders in celebration of their new website design and not wanting to miss out I placed an order and brought lots of goodies that I'd been eying up for a while - haul to follow soon. I'd been wanting to try a Blush by 3 palette for quite a while after seeing them featured over a huge selection of blogs so I decided to pop 'Lace' in to my basket and I'm very happy I did. For just £10 you get three beautiful blushes, all intensely pigmented with a nice variety of finishes as there's two matte shades and one shimmer. The blush palettes come in a stylish black compact with a large mirror and the name of each shade printed clearly on the back. All three blushes have a lovely texture and blend easily in to the skin, adding a beautiful flush of colour to the cheeks. I was holding the palette upside down for the photographs below as to avoid the dreaded mirror flashback, so please excuse the colours being in a different order to the photo above! Crochet - Vivid deep, matte orange. Guipure - Apparently a dupe for Nars 'Orgasm' gorgeous peachy pink with golden shimmer. Chantilly - Matte peachy coral.   I adore all three colours in this palette as they're all completely different from what I'd normally go for. The pigmentation is amazing, you need the smallest amount on your brush meaning this will no doubt last me months and months! I'd happily purchase another and I've already got my eye on 'Flame' and 'Pink Spirit'. 

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Free Benefit with InStyle Magazine!

  Just a quick heads up in case you've been living under a rock and haven't heard about the free Benefit mini's with this months InStyle magazine. On offer is ChaChaTint, SunBeam and BeneTint, I didn't bother with BeneTint as I've already got a sample but the other two I've been wanting to try for a while so I had to rush out and grab them both! Try your local Tesco as InStyle is only £2.50, which is a bargain for a trial sized product and a magazine, especially if you're thinking of buying the full sized product any time soon. I've already tested out SunBeam which adds a lovely glow to the skin and can be mixed with foundation or used as a highlight and ChaChaChaTint looks like a beautiful coral for the cheeks and lips!
Have you managed to get your hands on a copy of InStyle?

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