Instagram Diary: Part Four

Makeup Revolution's New 'Pro' Palette | Messy Hair & Chunky Knit Day | My MAC Velvet Teddy Replacement | Jo Malone Heaven | My article for Jourdann Dunn's much await Vogue Cover | Culture to tone down the faux fur hat | Louis came out to play | Fluff | And my Christmas arrived early in champagne, flower and chocolate form.

As if it is my first Instagram Diary of the year? I more than likely should of done one of these a bit sooner as this now involves a Christmas picture. Well, my Christmas in champagne, flowers and chocolates so that doesn't really count right? I have been keeping myself busy at After Nyne Magazine, which is were my Jourdan Dunn's much await Vogue Cover article and a few others live, like the return of Mr John Galliano. Plus, going by my pictures, can you tell I am glad to have my long blonde hair back?

What have you been up too recently?

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When Only (Gold) Yves Saint Laurent Will Do....

There are certain times in life when only the best will do. This often happens to me during the winter months, January I am looking at you, when I either need a pick me up myself, or my face defiantly does. And what better cure than the best makeup? For me this is Yves Saint Laurent and their gold packaging. I have no idea why the gold makes me feel luxurious, but it does. Maybe its just as it pleases my inner makeup snob, not that I'll be admitted that freely. 

The Yves Saint Laurent Shocking Mascara is one of my all time favourites. Its a quick and easy way to give that false lash look. Every time I open it I just know my lashes will behave themselves. It even smells of pure luxury.

Yves Saint Laurent Touche Eclat I've somehow never written about this? Like it needs it anyway, as its of course everyone holy grail highlighter, and it has never let me down. Even when my skin and face is doing anything but behaving, Touch Eclat saves the day, and my face.

What are your items that no less will do?

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Makeup Revolution Pro Looks Stripped & Bare Palette

It is official, I can't keep up. Only last week did I have a new Makeup Revolution palette, Girl Panic,  and today you've guessed it, I have another one. Welcome the Makeup Revolution Pro Looks Stripped & Bare Palette. Straight off I just knew this palette was made for me (not literally, shame) as with the Stripped & Bare Palette they are bringing out another two, and I have the nude version of the three. You know me and a nude...

But what is the 'pro' part of a this palette? Well its designed for those of us who may not know what colours and shades go together, or not brave enough to try out new colour combinations. There a technically three different looks ready made in the pro palettes, but obviously you can wear them as you please. 15 eyeshadows, shimmers and mattes, make up this palette and they remind me of all three of the Urban Decay Naked Palettes condensed in terms of shades.

A mixture of pinks, lighter and stronger with hints of gold. Plus a few shades for the more daring with  purples, darker blues and a khaki. Surprisingly for me, I am impressed with the shimmer shades as the amount of glitter is manageable. Despite the 'bare' namesake, the colours are anything but. All 15 are so pigmented, and are so smooth to apply cream eyeshadows should have something to worry about. Whether I do look like a pro has applied my eyeshadow remains to be seen, but as long as I feel like a pro than that is all that matters right?

Makeup Revolution Pro Looks Stripped & Bare Palette £6

Will you be trying the new Makeup Revolution Pro Looks palettes?

*PR Sample/Gift

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Focus on Cloud 9 Skin Solutions

New skincare finds always excite me, especially ones with a name like Cloud 9 Skin Solutions. Yeah maybe a tad shallow but I just knew I had to try them based on the namesake. Not a 'new' brand by any means, but new to me, Cloud 9 were started when they did their research and found most skincare items just gather dust in bathroom cupboards. A few scientific meetings later and their range of skin solutions was born. And I have been lucky enough to be trying out 5 of their products...

Body Makeover - Cellulite Treatment (Sky Blue) £35 | Unusually with the key ingredient of Ivy, this clear gel reduces that orange peel skin within two weeks. You need to give this product a good rub into your skin, as this apparently gets the blood pumping around and makes the gel that bit more effective. Admittedly (for now) cellulite isn't much of a issue for me, but hey, the backs my legs do feel smoother.

Natures Miracle - Varicose Vein Treatment (Dark Blue) £30 | Luckily I don't (yet) have varicose veins, but this is on standby for the day when I realise I do. Fingers crossed my genes are good. And I quite like the tingling sensation when using it. Don't judge me.

Tranquility - Ultra Soothing Cream for Dry Damaged Skin (Grey) £36 | So this is my forte, dry skin. This soothing cream has worked wonders,  and its no surprise with the Vitamin B12 and Avocado Oil in the ingredient list. Firstly I just used this on my body (incase made me grow another limb or something) but as it sorted out my dry legs I moved it onto my face.

Skin Rehab - Scar Minimising Cream (Pink) £35 | Now this is the one item I was most excited to try thanks to a scar on my stomach. I do also have spot scars. contains a rather unique ingredient list. St John’s Wortand extract of Onion...I'm used to my onions pickled so it makes a change for them to be reducing inflammation and encouraging healthy skin regeneration. Plus both old and new scars can benefit from the Cloud 9 treatment.

Clarity - Skin Clearing Spot Gel  (Green) £32 | Surprisingly, even though winter is normally the time spots appear on my face, my skin has been behaved so I didn't get to gain the full benefits from this. But this gel also improves skin if you have picked (not that we do that of course) the area and takes the appearance of angry red skin down. 

What I do like about Cloud 9 Skin Solutions is not only are they one of most friendliest companies I have come across, is the simplicity of their products, and they tell you just what they do. No fancy claims, just skincare done right.

Cloud 9 Skin Solutions from £30.

Have you tried any of the Cloud 9 Skin Solutions products?

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Max Factor Facefinity 3 in 1 Foundation

Max Factor is one high street I brand I trust, lack of gimmicks and just generally simple makeup products has meant they are my go to brand in Boots. I think I have tried all their foundations (and mascaras of course) so naturally I wasn't going to leave the Facefinity 3 in 1 Foundation on the shelf. 

Combining a primer for a long lasting look, concealer for coverage, and foundation for finish is the 3 in 1 element Max Factor are offering. Anything that cuts corners when I am doing my makeup is so welcomed, although mixing three completely different items seems to have that gimmicky element that Max Factor normally avoid. Oh well, I won't get too snobby...

However, Facefinity has sidestepped the failure I was sort of expecting, and is a lovely foundation. Up to Max Factor's typical creamy foundation reputation I can feel slight addition with the added primer. Yet despite the primer and concealer, its incredibly lightweight while still having the full coverage my face does need. And somehow, still manages to have the matte finish and luminosity balance down to a tee. Why can't foundations seem to normally manage that? The only teeny downside with this foundation, and I am being rather picky, is I don't quite feel the benefit for having the added concealer. Or maybe I am just bitter that my blemishes need more coverage...

Facefinity defiantly has a air of Revlon Colorstay about it, with its lightweight-ness, medium-full coverage and matte finish. Again, as expected with Max Factor, there is no strong scent that makes my eyes water, stood the test of time (around 10 hours), plus contains SPF 20. And all this for a £11.99 high street foundation? Well done Max Factor. 

Max Factor Facefinity 3 in 1 Foundation £11.99

Have you tried the Max Factor Facefinity 3 in 1 Foundation?

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My MAC Velvet Teddy replacement

Damn you Miss Kylie Jenner. Before your lips (fake or not) hit the headlines, and told the world that is was all down to the MAC Velvet Teddy lipstick, I could very easily get hold of one of my favourite MAC nudes. But not now, sold out everywhere. There should be some special supply of MAC Velvet Teddy for those of us who used it pre-Kylie Jenner. Selfishly, there isn't, so being bored of my MAC's Myth Lipstick I went on a mission to find a new nude from the ever price increasing brand, MAC.

MAC Velvet Teddy is a deep tone beige with a matte finish, compared to the MAC Japanese Maple (£15.50) I picked up, a netural toned beige, actually described as a "frosted light beige".

The nude beige tone is similar to that MAC's Myth, but Japanese Maple is a much more subtle shade due to the semi-opaque finish. That high shine gives a glossy affect making my lips appear more plumped (aka, the Kylie Jenner look). The only downside to this lipstick is it requires a few touch-ups to keep the sheen, but then I obsessively redo my lipstick, so I barely noticed. 

And despite this not being a matte finish like the beloved MAC Velvet Teddy, this has become a daily staple in my lipstick collection. So in a way, thank you Miss Jenner as you have broaden my MAC lipstick knowledge.

Have you tried MAC's Japanese Maple?

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Makeup Revolution Girl Panic Eyeshadow Palette

 

Have you ever come across a brand that releases so many new products? I doubt it. I just don't know how Makeup Revolution still have good ideas left. But perhaps that is why I just write about makeup, not invent it. 

Girl Panic is one of their new Salvation Palettes, and the prettiest. There are 12 shimmer shades (rectangles) and 6 mattes (circles), Girl Panic is a mix of Pink Tones, through to Nude bases, Chocolate to Copper, with a couple of Silver & Smoked. Inside there is a large mirror and double ended sponge applicator. The names of the eye shadows are printed on the plastic sheet, and are taken from the Girl Panic's lyrics the Duran Duran song F.Y.I.

All lasted all day with minimal fading and creasing. All of the shimmer shades are extremely pigmented surprisingly, or not so as I should of expected with Makeup Revolution by now. And of course, as I did expect, the mattes are up to Makeup Revolutions high pigment standards. Girl Panic also got mentioned in The People's Sunday Magazine as a cheaper version to the new Yves Saint Laurent Couture palette coming out later this month. Impressive? I think so. 

I can't say this has overtaken The Makeup Revolution Essential Matte Palette. Number 2. Which would take a lot of beating as to say I am obsessed with it is a understatement, but if you're going to opt for one of their Salvation Palettes, this would be the one.

Makeup Revolution Girl Panic Eyeshadow Palette £6

Have you tried the Makeup Revolution Girl Panic Eyeshadow Palette?

*PR Sample/Gift

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January Birchbox | Womens Health Magazine Edition

Oh wow. It feels to be writing 2015, and I've already written 2014 through this entire post. Least I noticed before I hit published. But it is here, the January 2015 Birchbox, and this month of course it just had to be in partnership with Women Health Magazine. A bit like Mondays really, the only acceptable time to start a health kick/diet is January. Its practically the law.

This month, to further that January health kick motivation, there is  an offer where you can subscribe to Women's Health Magazine for 10 issues for just £18 saving 52%. There is also a 'Hit Refresh' booklet which contains 12 small challenges/tips for health inspiration. So lets see what this month has to offer...

Stila Lip Glaze | A sheer shimmery pink and non-sticky lip gloss. I've never tried Stila, well not that I can remember, but I've heard nothing but praise for them. Wasn't expected a lip gloss in a health oriented box though, guess its not a bad thing to have glossed up lips at the gym.

REN Glycolactic Radiance Renewal Mask | I've already tried this with my first REN purchase, and love this little tube. Plus my previous sample size just ran out so this was a handy refill for me. This definitely refreshed my skin so its a perfect fit a refresh box.

Philip Kingsley Body Building Conditioner | Again, I've been lucky enough to try this before, so a top up was handy. Designed to give your hair a bit of life and make locks ready to start the year, this well known brand was very welcomed by me.

HealGel Intensive | Intensive version of the HealGel Eye and HealGel Face apparently. I'm keen to try this as the HealGel brand has been untouched by me, it just better live up to its hype.

ActivBod Cooling Finish Lotion | So this one showed me up nicely...I don't exercise (don't flame me) and as a result I won't be needing this. But this is re-energising gel, used post workout, is for a bit of energising, moisturise and too sooth.

Embrace Matcha Green Tea | (That green drink in my pictures) While coffee still exists I can't imagine I'll convert to green tea. I did still drink this sample as photographing is thirsty work, but I'm not holding my breath that I will be stocking up.

Pilates Band | Well, I actually had no idea what this was, serves me right for not exercising that much. I almost toyed with the idea it was a pink head band...you know, for working out?! But no, it is defiantly a Pilates Band. And I still don't know what to do with this...

In terms of actually relating to the theme, Birchbox have done well this month as all except one item fits their 'Hit Refresh' theme perfectly, but for me, this isn't a box that stands out. More than likely to do with the fact I'm hardly a gym bunny rather than actual box itself. But what I can say, after giving me chocolate in Birchbox, they have given themselves high standards. Chocolates over a Pilates Band.

Monthly Subscription is £10

What do you think of the January Birchbox?

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Playing Tourist: Christmas (ish) Edition

My castle obsession has had to take a back seat recently thanks to the winter. Cold and me don't mix. But there has just been Christmas, and of course as a result I ventured outside for Christmas castles. Hever Castle was featured in when I Played Tourist for the first time back in the summer, and being a sort of castle expert now, I think this is the best castle, ever. 

Being the childhood home of Anne Boleyn, Queen of England, and one (the second) of King Henry VIII wives, this is the castle with a real Tudor connection. I'll skip my less than able history lesson and just let the pictures do the talking. And as you can see Hever Castle really had gone festive for my visit a few days ago, Christmas trees and all. So I am very glad I wrapped up (if only you could of seen my michelin man winter layers) to visit Hever, and it almost had me in the festive spirt, in January. If that isn't impressive, I don't know what it. 

Have you been to Hever Castle?

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My Top Beauty Products of 2014

First post of 2015, and of course the cliches of the New Year still stand, but what do I do? Start the new year by looking back at the previous. I am slightly jumping on the bandwagon with this post, but I can't think of a more original post to do...so My Top Beauty Products of 2014 it is. But once I started this post I realised just quite how long it could of ended up, so these products are more my highlights of the year and what stood out to me over the previous 12 months. 

Makeup Revolution Ultra Blush and Contour Palette All About Bronze palette | Okay okay, I promise I won't go on about this again...but seriously, just buy this one thing from Makeup Revolution...

Bourjois Volume 1 Seconde Mascara in Ultra Black | Again, I know I harp on about this, my mascara is my forte. Not only is this a ridiculously good, and possibly the best, high street mascara, its my Benefit They're Real dupe. Which everyone needs in their life right?

The Unlawful Nars blush | My first 'proper' pink blusher experience, and I'm right on board with the Nars Blush hype. This little gem offers a healthy pink glow (with a touch of shimmer), without making me look like a 12 year old school girl. 

Rimmel Kate Moss Lipstick...The Infamous Shade 107 | For a not very adventurous lipstick girl, colour wise, I do love the Kate Moss lipstick range. I have both Kiss of Life and Wine, and its the Wine I've just not stopped wearing. Matte finish? Check. Affordable? Check. Makes me look like I've made a effort with my makeup? Check. 

BareMinerals Original SPF 15 Foundation | Think the surprise factor here helped the Bare Minerals make its way onto my list, and that I'm not experimental at all with foundation. But a quick and easy to apply foundation that defiantly rivals the Estee Lauder Double Wear? Yes please.

Soap and Glory Brow Archery | Maybe another shock factor item, as felt tips and eyebrows were not a combination I thought would mix. But this eyebrow product swiftly overtook the Illamasqua Brow Cake to be the one I opt for daily. The more natural look and much quicker application just stole my heart. 

What are your top beauty products of 2014?

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