Review & Swatches; Mary Kay Gel Semi-Matte & Shine Lipsticks

I was kindly sent a selection of the Mary Kay lipsticks - a mixture of their gel semi-matte and semi-shine formulas.

This was a new brand to my makeup radar, so I was excited to give them a go.

The packaging is worth a mention - with the lipstick encased in a curvy black tube with a shiny silver emblem as the 'clasp' - it's all pretty elegant and sleek. I also like the feature of the lids having clear tops, so depending on how you store your lipsticks, you can see the shade through the lid.

From left to right (on the swatch photo) I was sent the shades;

Mauve Moment (matte) Haute Pink (shine) Powerful Pink (matte) Red Smolder (shine) Crushed Berry (matte)

I'm definitely more of a matte person when it comes to lipsticks and I found the formula to be very comfortable to wear, they were also highly pigmented and the colour pay off was impressive.
With them formula not being a matte matte, the wear time was approx 4 - 5 hours, but I'd rather sacrifice the wear time and have a lipstick that's comfortable to wear.

The lipsticks are priced at £14 each and available here

Have you tried anything from Mary Kay?

Lauren x

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Pink Parcel: Review

Ladies, we're talking periods today, and if you're anything like me, it's often a case of being unprepared, hormonal and Mr Makeup Maestro knows to give me a wide berth for a few days!

Anything that helps me get through those 4/5 days each month is hugely welcomed so when Pink Parcel offered to send me the November box, I was over the moon.

The box comes discreetly packaged and is slim enough to fit through most letterboxes, which is great - if I had to make a special trip to the post office depot for it, it might go against everything the box stood for!

Once opened, this is what greeted me;

Everything is neatly boxed / bagged up into sections which I think is a really nice touch - I popped the little black drawstring bag straight into my handbag as it's really easy and discreet way to carry what you need around while you're out and about / at work etc.

The "For Night", "For Now" and "For Later" all contain sanitary products, I was sent a mix of both pads and tampons - but this can be tailored to suit - more about that later.
The most exciting box is "For You" and it's packed full of those little pick me ups that we all need and just give us that virtual hug that we need at that time of the month.

The treats in Novembers box were;

Cuppanut Tea - Ginger & Tumeric flavour - erm, yum!
Cocoba truffles - Do I even need to comment? Anyone that sends / brings chocolates to me is a legend
Lipcote Lipstick Sealer - I did try this years ago- helpful for turning a non matte lipstick into one and making lipstick last longer
Swiss Clinic Cleansing Spray - I have been using these to keep my hands and beauty brushes cleansed and free from germs
Nail HQ All In One Oil - I've just had Shellac done, so this is ideal timing to keep my cuticles hydrated for the next few weeks.
The Beauty Crop Glamazon Stick - brightens, highlights and smooths - straight into my makeup bag!
Beautaniq Beauty Radiant Glow Face Mask - packed with vitamin C, this mask is exactly what my skin needs during the colder winter months.

I love the element of surprise with the "For You" box, and a mixture of goodies, skincare and makeup is perfect.

Having read the subscription details, Pink Parcel will allow you to completely tailor the box to suit you and your needs at that time of the month - you can choose to receive pads, tampons or a mixture of both. You can then even select the absorbency level and brand you want. These can then be amended at any point.
You can select the best shipping date to suit your cycle and best of all, you're not locked in and you can cancel at any point.
The cost of the box is £12.99 each month and this includes postage - I think it's really good value for money and to avoid getting caught short, to have had this delivered and know I'm covered is totally worth it.

It's definitely one of my favourite ideas for a monthly subscription box.

Have you ladies tried anything like this, do you think its a good idea?

Lauren x

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Feeling Fenty..?

I know I'm pretty late to the Fenty party, but late is still fashionable, right?

I waited until the hype at the counters had died down, the launch didn't excite me enough to be queuing, plus if you could see my foundation drawers, you'd understand why when I buy another one, its done so on a 'want' rather than 'need' basis.. all you makeup junkies know what I mean!

I had also been reading lots of reviews before I decided to purchase and had seen lots of mixed reviews - some raving about it and others saying it hadn't worked for them, it made me more sceptical but nevertheless, I really wanted to give it a go.

The foundation wasn't something I wanted to order online, with 40 shades to choose from - I knew it could be a risky, so I visited my local Harvey Nichols counter, where I was matched up with shade 150 - it's the perfect shade and blends in seamlessly.

Now, I'm never one to religiously buy the matching primer and foundation, but on this occasion I did. The two came to £50.00.

Since adding these to my collection, I've been testing them like I've never tested a primer and foundation before, i've literally scrutinised their every move.

Let's now get down to the nitty gritty of the duo.

Firstly, a shoutout for the packaging - heavy smoked glass bottles that look sleek, sophisticated and have pumps - huge tick!

The primer is very smoothing, moisturising and leaves a velvety base for makeup - I haven't tried it with any other foundation so can only review it on it's performance with the Pro Filt'r foundation.

The foundation has an extremely runny consistency, and I find you have to work pretty quickly with it to get it blended in. I found that the usual amount of foundation I would apply (2 pumps) got me a medium coverage, but I felt I needed more, it is buildable and never looked cakey, but I was surprised at much I needed.

Even with more foundation on my face than I would normally apply, it still feels lightweight and wasn't obvious that I had more on.

The lasting power, was hit and miss - for reference my skin is oily / combination - winter does leave me less oily, but I still experience a shiny T-Zone most days.
The duo seemed to work best for me on the days I experienced less oiliness - it looked flawless when I applied it, but throughout the day it didn't last as well and had started to start 'slip' in places and had exposed some pores on my cheeks too.

I think both the products are suited to more normal/ dry skin types (the primer is particularly moisturising) and it would be the perfect duo for someone with dry skin who still wants a matte finish foundation without looking cakey, or dull.

The duo aren't a complete fail for me, and I will continue to use them both, if ever there is a better time to use them it will be over Winter, but these will not be repurchases.

Have you tried the foundation? How did you get on?

Lauren x

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The perfect pout with Pixi...

It's no secret that Pixi is one of my favourite beauty brands, so the day I received this box of lip goodies, was a good day.

Their Matte lustre lipsticks have been on my radar ever since I visited the Pixi shop in London last year, they gave me a complimentary makeover and used the shade 'Honey Bare ' on me, then gifted it to me (along with a jumbo Glow Tonic bottle!) and I have enjoyed wearing it since...

I was sent 3 more shades of the Matte Lustre Lipsticks in the shades Rose Naturelle, Bitten Rose & Plum Berry and three of their Shea Butter Lip Balms in the shades Sweet Peach, Pixi Pink & Ripe Raspberry.

Let's start with the lipsticks first...

These are highly pigmented and extremely comfortable to wear. These apply like and feel like a balm and wear like a lipstick with a demi matte / satin finish.
With vitamins c & e these are super conditioning, add hyaluronic acid to the mix and you get nice plumped lips too.


Swatches from right to left; Rose Naturelle, Bitten Rose, Plum Berry

These are available in 11 shades and are £14 each, click here


Last but not least, the balms.
These are rich but lightweight, they add a good wash of colour to the lips and they are also very nourishing and soothing.

From right to left, we have Sweet Peach, Pixi Pink, Ripe Raspberry;

The balms come in 7 shades and are £8 each, here

What I love most about the makeup items I've tried from Pixi it that's it's fuss free, low maintenance and fab for those "no makeup" makeup days.


What's your favourite makeup item from Pixi?

Lauren x

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Dior Precious Rocks Eyeshadow Palette; Ruby

You cannot beat a 'Holiday' Collection and certainly not one from Dior...Out of everything in the Diorific Precious Rocks Collection, this was the stand out item for me, and I knew I had to have it.

It was released a little earlier than anticipated, and because I was a little late off the mark, when I came to search online, it had sold out everywhere!
I persisted and was ringing every stockist in Yorkshire to see if they had one in stock (between you & me, I would have travelled further!) I then popped out for lunch and thought I'd try Boots (working in a city centre has it's perks) and my words at the Dior counter, started with, "I know you'll probably have sold out, but...." much to my surprise, and sheer delight the ever so beautiful and glam assistant pulled the last one from the drawer, like a early Christmas miracle! I mean, just look...

Beautiful.

The shades are perfect for this time of year - especially the sparkly cranberry in the centre.

Surprisingly I haven't been impressed with the quality of Dior shadows in the past, but the pigmentation and new formula of these eyeshadows, blew me away and made the £43.50 easier to swallow.

The palette cries out 'Christmas Day Makeup' and the shades work so well together and will come together to create such a gorgeous look.

While the palette is pretty much sold out online now, I would highly recommend asking at your local Dior counter.. you never know! The Emerald palette is still available and if they are your kind of shades, it's equally as pretty.

Did you manage to snag this beauty?

Lauren x

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Huda Beauty Warm Brown Obsessions Eyeshadow Palette

When I saw the release of the Huda Beauty Obsessions palettes on Cult Beauty, with free delivery, I had one in my basket and was clicking 'complete order' faster than you could say "you don't need another eyeshadow palette Lauren"

I chose the Warm Brown palette, it contains my favourite shades and it's so appropriate for this time of year.

The palette has 9 shades and even though it's very compact (but cute!) it still houses a decent mirror. While it's not plastic or metal packaging, it's not flimsy by any means.

Now onto the all important shades... one beautiful metallic shade surrounded by 8 mattes.

Just look at them. Pure heaven for any warm toned shadow lover, like myself.

The quality of the shadows is out of this world, they are super pigmented, buttery and blend like a dream. Having never tried any Huda Beauty eyeshadows before, I wasn't sure what to expect - needless to say I am a convert and was immediately eyeing up the Desert Dusk palette to get my next Huda hit.

The swatches below took the lightest of touches to do, so you can see how insanely pigmented they are.

While I think this palette will suit everyone, for those of us with blue eyes, these shades (metallic copper, I see you!) will make our eyes pop!

The Obsessions palettes are priced at £25.00 and available here from Cult Beauty, the free shipping is across the entire Huda Beauty items and will run throughout the month of November.

Have you picked up one of the Obsessions palettes?

Lauren x

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Balmkind Alpine Rose & Lysine Lip Balm Review

Balmkind Alpine Rose & Lysine Lip Balm

It doesn’t have to be Winter for you to find me 3 different lip balms in my handbag, so I was delighted when Balmkind offered to send me their Alpine Rose & Lysine Lip Balm to try.

Balmkind is a UK company based in Hampshire, their lip balm not only nourishes but also soothes and protects the lips – perfect for this time of year.

The formula is wonderfully rich, yet very light and a little goes a long way, giving a hint of natural shine without being sticky and it’s full of antioxidant rich Alpine Rose and Lysine, which both help to reduce the occurrence of cold sores, luckily for me this isn’t something I suffer from but even still, i’ll Be slathering this all over my lips this Winter!

I have to also mention that Balmkind send this out with the box flat packed, this means it can fit though a letterbox with the box being easy to assemble and it could be given as a gift for example. Pure genius!

The lip balm is priced at £14.00 and can be purchased, here

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Loella ‘Girl on Fire’ Brush Set - you’ll have a ‘Hunger’ for them after reading this..!

One of my favourite things to receive and try is makeup brushes, so when London-based cosmetic tools company Loella sent me their ‘Girl on Fire’ brush collection, I was over the moon.

Not only are these brushes super pretty to look at, they are cruelty free, making them 100% vegan.

Quirky makeup brushes seem to be everywhere at the moment and this collection from Loella does not disappoint! Something has to be said about the personality behind the brand judging by the names they have given the brushes; ‘Buffed up Briony’, ‘Contour diva Caty’ & ‘Powder woman Penelope’ are to name a few and it feels like you have your own girl gang helping you perfect your face!

The perfectly named set (as they actually look like they are on fire) have super soft synthetic hairs that pick up both power and liquid products amazingly well, the quality rivalling some ‘high end’ ones already in my collection.

My favourites from the set are;

• Buffed up Briony - Flat Kabuki brush
• Powder woman Penelope - Fluffy large powder brush
• Contour diva Caty - Angled blush and contour brush
• Blend me beautiful Betty - Large eye blender brush

The brushes can be bought individually, as the base set, or the full set, from the Loella website direct, here

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Saying 'Hallelujah' To Hair Oil

After many years of bleaching and dyeing my hair, it’s fair to say it has taken it’s toll, and the ends in particular have seen better days!
So I was delighted when I received an email from Emily, founder of Forest & Shore to see if I’d to try their first product as it launched – their Hallelujah hair oil, as we were moving into colder climes it couldn’t have come at a better time.

All the ingredients in the hair oil are 100% natural and all geared towards moisturising and repairing dry and damaged hair. Some of the essential oils include coconut, rosemary, and lavender – so you can imagine how good this smells! I love how all the ingredients have been chosen based on their benefits for the hair too.

Forest & Shore say;

• MOISTURISING - The coconut, sesame and olive blend penetrates deep into the hair shaft working to efficiently hydrate dry hair.
• REPAIRING - Working from the inside out to heal any damaged, broken hair. Nourishing your hair with organic oils will restore the shine and promote silky hair.
• STIMULATES HAIR GROWTH - Coconut and sesame work together to lock in proteins to encourage hair growth.
• PROTECTING - Effective protection from harmful UV rays and heat, such as straighteners and hair dryers.
• 100% NATURAL & ORGANIC -Soil Association Certified Organic. Made with the highest quality ingredients in England.

The oil can be used in two ways, as a post wash on damp hair (2-5 drops) or used as an overnight treatment (2-3 full pipettes) - the latter I was most intrigued by as I have never used an oil in this way before.
Used either way, the oil leaves my hair soft, silky and healthy!

The packaging is very sleek, minimal and simple which compliments the product in every way.

I would highly recommend this hair oil, I love the way my hair feels, looks and smells after I have used it.

It’s priced at £14.99 and available to purchase, here.

I’d like to finish by saying a huge thankyou to the lovely Emily for being kind enough to send this to me, and I hope this is the first of many products that Forest & Shore launch.

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The Harrogate Candle Company

Living in Yorkshire, I'm a big lover of Harrogate, I immediately think of afternoon tea at Betty's and a relaxing session in the Turkish baths - and that's exactly what happened on my hen do, which I had in Harrogate (*disclaimer, there was a lot of alcohol involved too, tee hee!)

I love supporting local business, so I was delighted when Deborah & Fiona sent me their " Mood Collection" Gift set which contains one of each of their 10cl mood candles (18 hours burn time per candle)

The set comes presented and packaged in a very sleek and sophisticated black box with a card to detail all the different "moods" and fragrances and it even shows which ones are aimed to be used from daytime through to nighttime (if you want to, I tend to burn to suit my mood at the time regardless of day or night)

The Mood Collection has 5 candles;

"Happy" - Lime & Black Pepper - Refreshing and vibrant for an early morning energy boost
"Inspire" - Geranium, Eucalyptus & Orange - for some mid morning inspiration
"Lovely" - Rock Rose & Pink Pepper - Soothing & comforting for early afternoon relaxation
"Divine" - Dark Amber & Sandalwood - Rich & sensual for an afternoon de-stress
"Dream" - Vanilla Musk & Lavender - Calming & relaxing for some post work wind down

For those of you that follow me on Instagram, you'll know when it comes to fragrances and perfumes, I'm a Tom Ford gal, I like strong, deep, spicy, woody, quite masculine scents, so it was not much of a surprise that "Divine" is my favourite scent from the collection.

The candles give off a really good scent (lit, or un-lit!) certainly enough to fill the room, which is what you want from a luxury candle, and I was even more surprised at how evenly they burn - I'm halfway through some of mine and they look as neat as they did brand new, with no burn marks to the glass either - bonus!

The Mood Collection is priced at £48.00 and would make such a lovely gift. Other products including Reed Diffusers, Diffuser Refills, Mood Mists and other gift sets are all available on the website, here. The products are also stocked in John Lewis (Leeds) and a number of Harrogate stockists too, including the Turkish Baths.

All in all, I genuinely only have positive things to say about the candles and I'm eyeing up the 3 wick Divine candle for Christmas!

Do you have a favourite candle ?

Lauren x

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Anyone for a coffee......scrub?

Ask me years ago if I thought I'd be taking coffee into the shower with me and using it to scrub my body (ok, not quite literally) I'd have looked slightly perplexed! But using a coffee scrub has slowly become one of my favourite ways to exfoliate. Plus the extra hidden benefits of using a coffee scrub (goodbye cellulite!) make it a no brainer!

As it goes, I'm not a coffee drinker, but I don't dislike the smell and and actually enjoy turning my bathroom into my local Starbucks once a week.

Pure Purpose, a family owned company in Kent, were kind enough to send me two of their coffee scrubs to try - Seaweed & Eucalyptus and Tumeric & Orange. Forumlated with completely natural ingredients and cruelty free, their products have been inspired by travelling the world and seeing how different countries use natural beauty in their cultures.

If you aren't sold already, the scrubs themselves are fantastic. They smell incredible - my favourite is the Seaweed & Eucalyptus one - Eucalyptus is one of my favourite scents anyway, I find it very spa-esque and extremely refreshing and invigorating.

If you are thinking that because it's a coffee scrub it will be coarse and harsh on your skin, think again. These scrubs are fine (not too fine) and leave the skin feeling really smooth and not stripped, meaning you can use them quite regularly - I tend to save this step in my routine for a Sunday evening and go all out with a pamper session, or I will use them ad-hoc in the shower if I'm going to apply some fake tan.

You only need a small amount and because they don’t break or melt down, you can use really sparingly and really spread and move it across your body.

The only downside I feel needs addressing is the cleanup, it does get all over the shower/bath and takes a bit of cleaning up afterwards, but in my opinion, it's worth it. It's worth noting that unlike another brand I have tried, the packaging of the Pure Purpose scrubs is shower/ water friendly, yay! And it can be sealed back up after each use to prevent any accidental spills.

The scrubs are affordable and are available in cute travel sizes too - great if you want to take them away or get one to try! Available here.

I also just want to mention their Instagram page, which isn't just about the products, they share some lovely thought provoking quotes too which I really enjoy.

Have you tried coffee scrubs? What do you think?

Lauren x

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5 Favourite Nude Lipsticks

My favourite shade of lipstick to wear is nude, the deeper nude the better, so I thought I’d pull together 5 favourites to share with you.

Nyx Liquid Suede, “Sandstorm”

I find this formula very pigmented, lasts well and the colour is a very true nude, definitely sitting on the brown side of nude, rather than pink, which I like. I think this shade is flattering on many skin tones too.
For the price, I think the NYX Liquid Suede lipsticks are really worth the money and there's so many colours to choose from!


Mac Cosmetics "Velvet Teddy"

Macs most iconic shade, that was sold out for months on end after Kylie Jenner said she wore it. A matte formula but very comfortable to wear.
Described as a deep tone beige, it's your classic 90's lip shade. I find it very wearable and it's the perfect balance between cool and warm. It's also one of those shades that can look different on everyone - but I like that about it.

Charlotte Tilbury Hollywood Lips "Best Actress"

A very recent addition to my collection, but has earned it's spot in this post after 1 wear, yes, I know!
The shade is the most perfect nude for me, a nude brown that's not too cool, neither too warm, just perfect.
The formula - creamy, lasts all day, when I say all, I mean ALL. I ate lunch, talked lots, drank lots of glasses of water - it was still there after a full day at work. Yes, it had started to fade, but I had to get up super close to notice. Ah-mazing - and I will certainly be returning to swatch some more shades.


Kat Von D "Bow And Arrow"

Super matte without drying your lips, it's very similar to NYX "Sandstorm" but it packs more punch. It's highly pigmented and lasting power is seriously good. It's the perfect warm, medium toned, brown shades and one you can slap on with any makeup look and it just works. Love!

Tom Ford "Sable Smoke"

A beautiful, creamy, caramel, nude shade. It applies like a matte formula, but has a slight sheen to it that doesn't make it look matte on the lips. It's super comfortable to wear. It's high end, super luxurious and worth every.single.penny.

I'd love to hear what your favourite nude lipstick is?

Lauren x

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Acrylic Storage From HerClutterBox

When you have a lot of makeup, organisation is key. I like to know where everything is and be able to see it at a glance. Hence why acrylic storage is a winner for me.

I've been very lucky to have been sent 2 of the Crystal Clear 5 Drawer units by MyClutterbox and have come to realise that bigger IS better when it comes to acrylic storage... It holds soooooo much makeup! Don't just take my word for it.. LOOK...

The quality is excellent, you can tell this from the minute you get it due to the sheer weight of it. It's made with the highest quality acrylic.

There are different styles to suit your needs and they come with drawer dividers so you can arrange your drawers however you want them!

The 5 drawer units have a flip top lid, 4 drawers of the same size and 1 larger drawer at the bottom.

The most recent set I've been sent have fancy, super shiny gold sides too.

HerClutterBox currently have 20% off their products on their website (here) so it's a great opportunity to invest if you have been looking at getting a set.

I highly recommend these drawers, and this is coming from someone who's had lots of acrylic storage, including Muji. While I still have lots of Muji storage and do think it's good, I think the amount and the types of products you can store in the MyClutterBox drawers are what sets them apart.

I'd love to hear / see how you store your makeup!

Lauren x

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Contour... Your Eyes

Eye cream is not something I have always have bothered with (mainly due to laziness!) but after hitting the ripe age of 30, I made it part of my daily routine, both morning and evening.

A few weeks back, Nuxe kindly sent me their new Nuxellence Total Eye Contour and I have been applying this daily, as my morning eye cream since receiving it. It can be used in both the morning and evening, I've decided just to use it in the mornings, mainly due to the cooling and refreshing feel it has as you apply it - every little helps in the morning!

Firstly, I absolutely love the applicator. It's a zamak (essentially a fancy word for metal) massaging applicator (you learn something new every day!) This type of application is very cooling against the delicate skin around the eye area and it also ensures the right amount of product is deposited too.

I like to smooth the product out with the applicator and then tap the rest in gently with my finger.

Now onto the product... it's very thick in consistency, and a little goes a long way. The cream contains both hyaluronic acid and passionflower and the light-reflecting particles help to brighten any dark areas and conceal unevenness. I noticed a difference instantly, in that my under eye area looked like it had been airbrushed - literally, contoured eyes!

The cream also works over time to reduce dark circles, bags and signs of fatigue, for eyes that appear more youthful and rested day-after-day. While I can't really comment on the longer term benefits of using this product, I have been more than impressed with the effects I have seen straight after applying the product (I'm sat here wishing I'd taken before and after photos now! ~ blogger fail!)


It came as no surprise last week that the product won The Best New Everyday Facial Skincare Product in the CEW awards for it's illuminating and smoothing properties.

The Nuxe Eye Contour is £38.00 and available here

What's your favourite eye cream?

Lauren x

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