Brand Focus : Live Love London

Brand Focus : Live Love London

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Over the past few days, I have been thinking about a bringing a series to my blog - one that I know I will be able to manage and keep going every month. Being a huge beauty lover, I thought that I could potentially focus on a brand(s), at least one post a month, and give my honest opinions on all the products I own from them. I'm planning to showcase brands both highly recognised and upcoming, whether it be telling to guys about my favourite highend brand or expressing my love for an afforable brand that not many know about. Who knows, I might incorporate some fashion brands in the future if this goes down well?

The first brand we are going to zoom into is Live Love London - a company that have recently released a new beauty range exclusive to BHS. From haircare to makeup, Live Love London offer it all beauty-wise with affordable prices attached! However, the products that particularly intrigued me were their face palettes and lipsticks. Here is how I got on...

Bronze & Light Palette £6.75

What we have here is one of the most aesthetically pleasing bronze,blush and highlight palettes I've seen on the high street side of the spectrum. Encased in a sleek, black compact, 6 beautiful shimmer shades are arranged. Each shade is extremely diverse - something hard to find in any palette. I find that a lot of companies produce cosmetics that are TOO similar in the same palette, making me question whether it is worth the buy. Also, most shades are EXTREMELY pigmented (the bottom row and the white highlight), although I wouldn't count this as a negative point simply because I prefer blush shades to be sheer. This helps me to apply the shade subtly and not end up turning into a toy doll. 

Top Row (left to right)

~ A peach/coral toned pink with tiny golden glitter particles ~

~ A muted, mauve pink with a metallic sheen ~

~ A pure champagne white enriched with thousands of silver glitter ~

Bottom Row (left to right)

~ A salmon pink layered with a metallic, iridescent glow ~ 

~ A muted, mustard brown with flecks of golden glitter ~ 

~ An intense orange-copper with high metallic overtones ~ 

My personal favourites are two highlighting shades - the white and salmon pink will both look incredible on the cheeks for summer because of their glitter intensity. I just LOVE glitter!!! 

HD Contour Expert Palette £10

Contouring is a huuuuge thing in the beauty world. Therefore, I like to 'jump on the bandwagon' and try things out too. I already own a lot of high end contour products but nothing from the drugstore. I'm only used to working with powder contour, so was thrilled to find out that Live Love London contained 6 powder contour shades for me to work with. The palette is accompanied with a practical mirror and a small guide as to where the shades work best on the face. I am yet to venture into this crazy, intense contour look but I will let you know when I finally pluck up the courage to do so. 

Each of the powders are finely milled, feel silky on the skin and are highly pigmented. There are two highlight shades and four contour shades; the contour colours cater for all skin types which makes the palette versatile and universal. Despite being suitable for all skin types, I would like to say that I feel 5 shades would still be able to work on my skin - if not, I will be able to fit it into an eyeshadow look somehow.

Lipsticks £2 each

Lip products are one of my favourite things about makeup. I cannot begin to describe my excitement whenever I go lipstick shopping; trying different branded lipsticks is something that I enjoy and I would love to share with you my experiences.

First of all, the price is INSANE! I love affordable lipsticks, especially when they leave an impressive result. These are relatively long-lasting, considering their pleasing value - I wore them for roughly 3 hours before reapplying and this time scale is no different from the majority of my drugstore lippies. 

Secondly, Live Love London offer a wide range of lipstick shades. For me, these will be worn and cherished; pinks and reds are my thaaang. Both are wearable and are not too striking, making them perfect for everyday use. I also love the pigmentation and hydration these lipsticks offer - my lips are super sore after the winter months have passed and need a lot of TLC. These leave a moisturising coat on the top of my lips, which makes my lips feel soft and hydrated. Oh, and let's not forget...they smell like sherbet!!!

Have you tried anything from the Live Love London beauty range yet? What is your favourite drugstore brand?

Lots of love

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The products mentioned were gifted from Live Love London, however all opinions are honest and my own.

Festive Nail Polishes

Festive Nail Polishes

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Nail polishes become one of my favourite things around Christmas time. During the rest of the year, I usually find painting my nails an irritating chore but when Christmas arrives, I can't help feeling completely happy as I spruce up my nails with a red, green or glitter polish. 

At the beginning of the month, I attended Clothes Show Live with my best friend, Jess, and I received tonnes more nail varnishes to add to my winter/Christmas collection - a few of which will be included in this mini top 5 post. Enjoy! x

*FROM LEFT TO RIGHT*

Models Own - Scarlet Sparkle (a rich, Christmas red with thousands of ruby sparkles)

Models Own - Catherine Wheel (flecks of gold/red glitter strands that simply sum up Christmas)

Mint London - Hyper (cool green,blue tones with glitter to enhance those winter vibes)

Barry M - Silver (perfect for winter events to add some class to your outfit)

Barry M - Watermelon (a deep, sultry green to match your Christmas tree)

Lots of love 

My Current Nars Favourites

My Current Nars Favourites

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Good evening! 

Today, I'd like to give a brief overview of all my current favourites; let us delve into my small collection shall we?

~ Nars 'Orgasm' Blusher ~

A beauty cult favourite, loved by all. This peachy-pink gold toned blush looks stunning in sunlight, the glitters bounce of the face enhancing natural beauty to the cheeks. One of those beauty faves you can't live without, especially in the Winter months when you need that extra flush of colour.

~ Nars 'Callisto' Dual Intensity Eyeshadow ~

A recent addition to my Nars favourites is this glittery, lilac-reflecting champagne mono eyeshadow. After falling in love with the high shine factor, intense pigmentation, frosty finish and lack of fallout, I just HAD to mention it in this post. I'm on the hunt for Dione and Himalia now, they are stunning shades too!

~ Nars 'Charlotte' Audacious Lipstick ~ 

All of you A/W makeup fanantics,like myself, will love this dark red lippie. A sophisticated option for a meal out or just to simply match an outfit, this one does the job! The smooth application is heavenly and leaves your lips feeling big and full; you don't even need lip liner girls!!!

~ Nars 'Mysterious Red' Velvet Matte Lip Pencil ~

This one is gorgeous and a classic; a very warm opaque brick red that is an honest showstopper for me. Despite it being striking and bold, this is a colour you and many have probably seen before. The thing that makes these lip pencils so special is the flat matte finish whilst among feeling surprisingly smooth upon the lips. Oh, and who doesn't love a crayon styled lip product?! Just line and fill in your lips...SIMPLE!

I hope you liked reading about my current obsessions on the Nars front (I'd also like to add I'm a huge fan of their radiant creamy concealer but completely forgot about it - OOPS!). 

Do you own a NARS product? If so, what is your favourite beauty item from this brand?

Lots of love

5 Beauty Products You Need This A/W

5 Beauty Products You Need This A/W

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If you are living in the northern hemisphere, you will know that it is time to hide away those vibrant corals and replace them with those ravising reds and berries. 

Welcome to Autumn everyone! Autumn is my favourite time of year due to so many reasons: the nights get darker (not great for taking photos with the poor lighting - but I love it!), the temperature becomes cooler, the knitted jumpers come out along with all the gorgeous autumnal colours. I'm a huge fan of all the autumn trends both in the fashion and makeup industry; so today, I would like to cover my top 5 things I love and you NEED this A/W on the beauty side of things.

During the cooler months, my skin always thinks it would be funnier to go VERY dry and make my makeup cling to patches on my face - FAB!!! To try and avoid this in 2015, I've prepared myself by keeping my moisturizers, primers and radiant illuminating creams at the ready. Garnier and Simple do some great skin goodies for an affordable price!

Another way I like to stay radiant and glowing is using golden toned highlighters. I feel these work best in the winter months as it brightens paler skin. These two high end must-haves are probably the most talked about highlighter and I completely understand why so many people talk about them. Even better, these two products work incredibly together; layer MAC's soft and gentle over Benefit's Watts Up and you're good to go!

Warm, plum blush shades are what you need this Autumn/Winter. They compliment golden highlight and deepen the cheek colour to make you have a flawless complexion. I'm not usually a fan of loose powder products but this E.L.F Blusher in PLUM really does me wonders at this time of year.

Eyeshadows are my favourite to change up seasonally, especially when Autumn comes around. Taupes, maroons, cranberries, coppers and golden glitters are the colours to go for - they correspond to the traditional autumnal shades and look great both daily and nightly. I absolutely love taupe and cranberry colours in the crease of my eye; they help to contour the lid so much and create the prettiest effect. Also, I adore wearing golden glitters on the eyelid too because of how simple is it to create.

Finally, the moment you've all been waiting for - my favourite berry red lips for this Autumn/Winter. Want a matte finish? Go for Rimmel's Kate Moss lipstick in 107 or the Nars Audacious lipstick in the shade Charlotte! If you're looking for a more satin finish then you definitely want to opt for Mac's Rebel or Makeup Up Revolution's Rebel With Cause - how ironic that they have similar shade names?! Lastly, if you're a glossy type of gal, I totally recommend visiting Revlon and picking up Parisian Passion from their Lacquer range. 

What are your must-have beauty products for A/W?!

Lots of love

Evening Makeup Look // Collab w. MollyIsabelSmith

Evening Makeup Look // Collab w. MollyIsabelSmith

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First off, I'd like to let you all know that today's post is part of a collab with Molly Smith from mollyisabelsmith.blogspot.co.uk. Alternatively, she has created a daytime and more natural look - the complete opposite of my intense eye makeup and bold lips. You can also find Molly on @mollyisabels on both twitter and instagram. It has been lovely working with her and I would be so grateful, as would she, if you went over to her blog and checked out her post.

Creating a bolder, intense makeup look is one of my ultimate past times; I love indulging in deeper lip colours and throwing dark shades onto my eyes. I just so happen to enter my own little bubble of serenity when I alter my makeup to something more dramatic than the regular day time face. Starting with the face, something I don't drastically transform, I opt for a full-coverage foundation (MAC Studio Fix Fluid NC15). This works well when faking a flawless complexion as well as lasting the entire evening, whether you be going out to a fancy restaurant or partying all night long, this foundation will stay put. The only other change in my face makeup is contouring. Personally, I like to contour my face A LOT when I'm wearing evening makeup. I apply my Estee Lauder Bronze Goddess in the hollows of my cheeks, my temples, under my jaw and sometimes on the tip of my nose; contouring is a great way to dramatise your makeup from day to night. In the look above, I also used Mac's Soft&Gentle to highlight, Nars Radiant Creamy Concealer to eliminate appearance of under eye cirles/highlight my T-Zone and Mac's Fleur Power for a subtle hint of blush. 

The primary focal point of the look comes down to the eyes. Maybelline's Colour Tattoo in Eternal Gold was perfect for creating a base on the eyelid. This helps to avoid creasing and maintain the eyeshadow applied on top. Next, I turned to my trusty Naked 2 palette and applied SNAKEBITE through the crease until fully blended. If you aren't comfortable using black eyeshadow, then skip the next step - I decided to increase the intensity by defining my outer corner. This was easily done by adding the darkest, opaque shade in the Naked 2 palette - blackout. Little by little, I tapped this onto my outer corner and blended thoroughly to ensure no harsh lines were present. To finish the eye look, I added some golden liquid glitter from Essence and painted on some winged liner. My lashes were lengthened and volumized using Smashbox's mascara; I also went under my eye with snakebite to define my eye shape.

Deciding on a lip colour was the final challenge. Owning many a dark lip, it was a difficult decision but in the end I chose Maybelline's Colour Drama Lip Pencil in Berry Much. Rich purples look undeniably fabulous with dramatic eyes and definitely a go-to of mine. Also, I think a ruby red lip would look equally as gorgeous with this eye makeup - gold and red are a great combo!

Thank you for reading and don't forget to check out Molly's post!

Lots of love

Dinner View, Orange Lips and Night Time Antics |Turkey Day 10

Dinner View, Orange Lips and Night Time Antics |Turkey Day 10

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Ever since I've arrived at the Green Forest Hotel, I have not once been disappointed with the food. There is variation at dinner daily and foods from all different cultures so there is something for everyone which is lovely. I was a huge fan of their chicken kebab sticks, their beef and also their grilled chicken (not photographed). How could you not enjoy dinner anyway when you're admiring this beautiful view out of the window?!

Tonight, I decided to whip out my black skort and pair it with a hot red crop top; to further add to the outfit I borrowed Jess' qwerky kimono, which I must say I'm very jealous of! Oh, and what other lipstick could compliment an outfit better than good ol' Mac's Lady Danger! 

After a wonderful night of playing pool, listening to the music and watching the entertainment it was time for bed. All these days of relaxing and doing nothing exhaust me...don't ask me how. Craving oreos has become my thing out here in Turkey so I ended the evening with a nice cuppa and some oreos.

Until tomorrow...