FOTN | The Christmas Party Picks

So last week I attended the boyfriends annual Christmas do, and its safe to say that I dressed to impress. Unlike my own Christmas Parties (the last one consisted of me and my beautiful chum making fools of ourselves, and cutting the night short after consuming one too many glasses bottles of wine), where I will happily waltz out the door in my favourite LBD and an everyday makeup look (its safe to say its no sophisticated soiree), I felt it was only right to dress for the occasion, starting with the all important Christmas Party beauty picks.  

I went for products that I knew would stand the test of time, ie something that would survive several glasses of bubbly, far too many shots and countless hours of dancing. Apologies in advance for the poor quality, half cut iPhone selfies, but hopefully you will get the jist.

I went for the classic bold red lip and fluttery long lashes (Eylure's double lashes are incredible) so I kept everything pretty natural. For base I used Estee lauders DoubleWear, a foundation that lasts all night, whist also covering a multitude of sins, and my trusty Collection 2000 Lasting perfection Concealer for those pesky spots and Tarte's Park Avenue Princess for contouring/bronzer. Finally for eyes I used the Nars and God Created Woman Palette, more specifically Belissima (a light taupe with a slight hint of shimmer) across the lid and Galapagos (a medium to light brown with serious gold glitter) in the crease. I then applied my Eylure lashes and a flick of L'Oreal's Super Liner Ultra Precision. 

Outfit wise I wore this beautiful dress from Little Mistress, my trusty Vivienne Westwood heels (seriously comfy for a night on the tiles) and my Mulberry Lily (review here). 

I Heart Drugstore Make-Up | Tag

I love high end makeup as much as the next person (I think the Princess Tag proves that), but my heart well and truly belongs to the drugstore. I can walk into Boots full of cold in search of cough sweets, and still find myself making my way to the till with a basket brimming with goodies. Thanks to 3 for 2, points cards, and the many temptations that surround the tills, its safe to say that I could spend a small fortune in a matter of minutes, on inexpensive, high quality products. So when the lovely Charlotte tagged me to do the 'I Heart Drugstore Make-Up Tag' I saw it as the perfect opportunity to ramble about my love of budget beauty. 

What's your favourite drugstore brand?! 

This is such a tough question, but I would have to say Maybelline. From the sought after Baby Lips and much loved Mascaras ( Falsies is the one and only Mascara I have repurchased) to the coveted Colour Tattoo's, its safe to say that Maybelline are on fire of late. 

What are your favourite face, cheek, and lip products?!

When it comes to my complexion, il admit to being somewhat of a high end snob. I would rather spend £20+ on a decent foundation (hello Chanel Vitalumiere), than buy countless bottles of drugstore ones that just aren't all that. However there are two exceptions to this rule, que Revlon's Nearly Naked, a lovely, buildable, long lasting, budget friendly foundation and Collections Lasting Perfection Concealer. This heavy duty beauty, blows all others out of the water. 

For cheeks it would have to be a toss up between Sleek's Rose Gold, a seriously pigmented long wearing blush (did I also mention its a dupe for a much loved bloggers fave?) and Elf's Tickled Pink.

As for lips I still cant get enough of the Rimmel Apocalips Lip Lacquers, Maybelline Baby Lips and Bourjois Color Boost Glossy Finish Lipsticks. 

Least favourite product?!

This is such a hard one as Im rarely unhappy with my makeup purchases as I often research the products before parting with my pennies (maybe im just easily pleased). But Sadly I would have to say Rimmel's Wake Me Up Foundation. I would love to sit here and sing its praises, but to be totally honest we just dont get along! I love the finish, texture, shading, but after an hour or twos wear I just end up looking like an oily mess (no amount of powder seemed to help). 

Best makeup bargain?!

Ooo now this is a toss up between MUA lipsticks (for a pound they seriously are the bees knees), and Collection's Lasting Perfection (im sure this comes as no suprise). It is without a doubt the BEST concealer I have come across. To find a creamy, full coverage concealer for as little as £4 is a total steal.

What's your favourite underdog product?!

Easy, Barry M Dazzle Dusts. They deserve way more love than they get. Available in a range of beautiful shades, these wonderful little pots are a great alternative to the sought after MAC pigments!! 

Over priced drugstore product?!

This was such an easy one. I rarely ever look at Maxfactor as I find the brand (mascaras in particular) to be a little overpriced for the drugstore. Considering we have to pay double figures for a product when its sister brand Covergirl (basically the US equivalent if you were wondering) charges almost half the price for its line is a little shocking to be honest.
Talking of American brands, another drugstore product/line I find to be somewhat overpriced is the Physicians Formula Happy Booster Blush. Dont get me wrong its beautiful, from the packaging, to the colour and finish, however it lacks pigmentation, so for that I would say that the $12 price tag is a little steep. 

Drugstore Dupes?!

The obvious would be Sleek's Rose gold, which is a perfect dupe for Nars Orgasm. Not only are the two near identical, but I would go as far as to say that Rose Gold is a lot more pigmented. So at a fraction of the price its certainly a steal (oh drugstores how I love thee). You can read my review on the pair here.

Drugstore products that aren't really worth the hype?! 

Please dont hate me, but I just dont understand the hype over Revlon Lip Butters and L'Oreal GlamShine Stain Splash's. Dont get me wrong there nice enough products, I just dont quite understand the hype that surrounds them. If anything Id say they are overpriced for what they are. Give me a Rimmel Apocalips Lip Lacquer or Bourjois Shine Edition Lipstick any day.

I tag:

Claudia from Claudia Couture

Ally from MissAllyV

Erica from EricaWears

Trina from TrinaWears

Gemma from Miss Makeup Magpie

What are your Drugstore essentials?!

Best of 2012

Raiding through my ever growing makeup drawer whilst trying to decipher what my my most used and loved beauty products have been over the past year, made me realise just how much my tastes have changed. Last January I would have picked MAC Studio Sculpt as my holy grail foundation in a heart beat, whereas today I would firmly chose Chanel Vitalumiere Aqua.

Ive gone from opting for a neutral lip, needless to say creme cup has been replaced with various shades of bright pink (hello show orchid). As for skincare, I am no longer that girl who would lazily use wilkos finest face wipes and the cheapest cleanser on offer. These days I have a range of products that suit my skin, and in return ive noticed a dramatic difference in my complexion. 

So after much consideration, here it is my Best of 2012

Best of Makeup

 Foundation- Chanel Vitalumiere Aqua

Concealer- Collection 2000 lasting perfection concealer

Highlighter- YSL Touche Eclat

Blush- Nars Orgasm

Bronzer- Mac Refined Golden

Eyeliner- Estee Lauder Doublewear 01 Onyx 

Eyeshadow- Bobbi Brown long-wear cream shadow (velvet plum)

Mascara- Benefit they're real

Lipbalm- Fresh Sugar Lip Balm 

Lipstick- Jack Wills Hot Pink

Nails 

 Barry M- Red Glitter

Chanel- Peridot

Essie- Tart Deco

Best of Skincare

 Toner- Caudalie Beauty Elixir

Cleanser-  Philosophy Purity 3-in-1

Moisturiser- Liz Earle Skin Repair Light 

Eye Cream- Benefit its potent

Face Mask- Elemis Fruit Active Rejuvenating Mask

Make up remover- Bioderma

Best of the rest  

Shower Gel- Lush Ponche 

Perfume- Jimmy Choo

Bath & Body Works Hand Sanitiser 

Mulberry locked cosmetic purse 

What were your faviourite Beauty Products of 2012??

whats inside my makeup bag

Hello lovelies, i hope your all well. Being a serial snooper i rather enjoy seeing posts on the items you lovely people keep in your bags, makeup bags included, so i thought i would give you guys a little insight into what i use on a daily basis. My makeup bag of choice is of course my beautiful mulberry locked cosmetic purse (if you want to see a post dedicated to the beauty itself click here ;) if your wondering where my makeup brushes are, i keep them separate as i dont want them getting my makeup bag all messy.

 Dr Jart+ Beauty Balm

This is a new addition to my makeup bag, and it is already becoming a firm faviourite. It claims to minimize the need for foundation and concealer and that it does. Although i still adore my studio sculpt foundation i have been using this to let my skin breathe a little as studio sculpt is quite a heavy foundation

Collection 2000 concealer

ive been using Dr Jart+ Beauty balm with my collection 2000 concealer. Ive raved about this concealer many a time, and all i have to say is that it deserves to be hyped about

YSL touche eclat

i apply a little of this as a highlighter under my eyes

Loreal Paris lumi magique primer

this is another new addition but a definite new fave. not only does it prime the skin which in turn helps my foundation stay longer, on my oily prone skin (boo). But it also doubles as a highlighter, it is seriously gorgeous from the rose gold detail on the packaging to the product itself

Benefit Brow Zings 

apologies for the sheer grubbiness of this, i couldnt be without this little duo, anything to keep my unruly eyebrows at bay is a plus in my books. I also love how it includes small tweezers, a perfect makeup bag essential

Bobbi Brown Extreme Party mascara

yep your eyes arent playing tricks with you, im actually mentioning the same mascara more than once, i think there may just be a long lasting relationship with this beauty, it lengthens aswell as thickens my lashes, what more could a girl want 

Bobbi Brown Long wear Gel liner 

a jet black liner that lasts all day on my oily lids, a definite statement in my makeup bag

Urban Decay Naked palette & Bobbi Brown long wear cream shadow in velvet plum (37)

for the past week or so ive been using virgin and sin with velvet plum on a daily basis. Im not usually a fan of cream eyeshadows as they tend to crease but velvet plum seems to last well, and it is such a beautiful shade that the picture just does not give it justice. 

YSL rouge Volupte (10) & Chanel Jalousie 

These two together are a perfect combination, although rather bright shades ive quite enjoyed using them on a daily basis

So there you have it, these are the goodies that i store in my makeup bag!!

whats inside your makeup bag??

If all my makeup disappeared!!

 So whilst reading Laura's recent post not only did it make me chuckle but it got me thinking about the first ten items, if heaven forbid all my makeup disappeared. I don't have a ridiculous amount of makeup but the fair few products that I do have, I will openly admit that I will stick to the same few products on a daily basis and my choices don't tend to vary. As Laura suggested this kinda post really makes you think about the products that are perhaps your holy grail and cant live without items. 

1. MAC studio sculpt foundation- i have raved about this on more than one occasion, a perfect foundation that stays put all day

2. Sleek blush (rose gold)- since I managed to get my paws on this gold dust item (and I can see why so), I have hardly touched any other blush, a gorgeous peach toned shimmery number this can be lightly applied for a subtle look, or can be applied a little heavier to create a more dramatic look. 

3.MAC refined golden bronzer- the perfect shade for contouring or for those days I fancy a change from applying blush. 

4.Bobbi brown long wear gel liner- I purchased this on my recent trip to new York, as I was fed up of liquid liner. a creamy formula, this black as black liner not only makes it easier to create a winged look, but it also doesn't budge all day. 

5. Collection 2000 long lasting concealer- apart from the teensy gripe in that all the writing rubs off the packaging, this is the best concealer I have managed to get my mitts on, with its creamy formula and brilliant coverage this baby beats the likes of MACs studio sculpt concealer hands down, and does so at a fraction of the price. 

6. real techniques stippling brush- this beauty can be used for a multitude of things, from applying foundation and concealer, to blush and bronzer, i along with no doubt alot of others have a soft spot for this brush, super soft, hassle free and easy to clean, what's not to love 

7. urban decay naked palette- I think this choice is pretty self explanatory, eyeshadow palettes have come and gone, but this one has always stayed a firm favourite, which is somewhat evident by the usage shown in the picture above, super soft, super pigmented and with enough matte and shimmer shades to create an abundance of looks. 

8. Bobbi brown extreme party mascara- one thing that has been clear since blogging and by the range that have been shown on my blog is the fickleness I have towards mascaras, this is the current mascara that I would definitely pick up first, this mascara defines my eyes by adding volume and length to my lashes

9. MUA clear mascara- this is perfect for keeping my unruly eyebrows at bay, and for £1 it would definitely be one of the first items id purchase if my beloved makeup were to disappear 

10. Chanel Jalousie Glossimer- lipstick has always been a daily addition to my makeup routine, completing the final touches of my look, however never before has a lip-gloss made the grade, with the idea of poor colour pay off and uber sticky lips. However Chanel's Jalousie has changed all of this, highly pigmented, brilliant colour pay off and completely colour free this baby would be the first lip product that I would purchase.

What items would you repurchase if your makeup disappeared??

http://ahintofsparkle.blogspot.co.uk/2012/07/new-york-giveaway.html

A lucky Girl..

Hello lovelies, i hope your all having a great start to the week!!..to say i never win anything is an understatement, i was always the child that never won pass the parcel, who always came last in sports day, im sure you can get the picture ;) ha, so when the gorgeous Catherine from catherinesloves contacted me and said i had won her blog giveaway a week or so ago, i was completely in shock. I definitely think there must have been a bit of luck on my side haha..I received a whole array of goodies, so expect some reviews soon, in my box of goodies i received two nail polishes in purple pleaser and party purple (this is such a gorgeous colour, my photos certainly dont give it the justice it deserves) an eyeliner pencil in plum passion, and a mirror covered in pink diamante's, all from elf..aswell as this (yes theres more) i received a rather lovely primark charm bracelet with some gorgeous charms, a Barry M nail polish in bright pink and a collection2000 creampuff in cotton candy (it smells so yummy). The point of this post really is to say a massive massive thank you to Catherine for such a lovely prize, and to check out her blog because its ace.