A BLOGGERS SECRET SANTA

Hello sweets!

Recently I was involved with one of the many bloggers secret Santa box swaps. 50 of us sent our information - name, address, blog link, three likes and three dislikes - to the two lovely ladies running the swap for them to match us to someone similar. We set a budget and agreed to send out our gifts before December the 1st. 

When my parcel arrived I was so excited! My secret Santa had put a letter in with my gifts with a note on the front explaining that if I wanted to wait until Christmas I shouldn't open the letter as she had explained why she has bought me all the gifts.

Naturally I was too excited to wait so I went ahead and opened my parcel!

I got so many goodies in here I was really spoilt and my secret Santa really did her research! 

Most of my gifts were in this gorgeous Christmas storage tin as I love to bake! So thoughtful.

There were a few gifts that wouldn't for in the tin so I opened them first.

These are the makeup gifts I got - the Natural Glow Palette by BarryM which she explained looks like a great dupe for the Naked palette, she also included a smokey eye brush from H and M to create new looks. I've never used anything other than nailvarnish and mascara from Barry M so I was really excited to try this out! The colours are just beautiful - 4 shimmery shadows and 2 matt shadows with a glittery pastel pink blush. I love how these colours look on, they blend really well and there are so many looks you can create with this palette for any season or equally any occasion. 

Here is a close up of the lipstick - the lipstick was from Primark which again I have never used the colour is a stunning coral and the consistency is very moisturising and it actually smells gorgeous! Definitely heading there soon to pick up a few more! 

I have heard great things about the OPI nail lacquers but never picked up one for myself. This one is part of the shatter collection in a deep rich red colour perfect for the festive season!

I got these bright pink fluffy socks (two of my favourite things pink and keeping warm!) along with a Christmas Eve Yankee candle in a little glass holder this smells divine and I did burn it ok Christmas Eve! The nakd berry cheeky bar bevause I'm veggie was such a lovely touch again I had never tried this but I absolutely love them now and have one every day on my tea break! 

Included was this beautiful statement necklace also from H and M and mentioned in my letter was that she has noticed I love my statement jewellery and she thought this was a really pretty delicate one to add to my collection :) so sweet!

Finally I got a Nivea soft moisturising cream as like most people my hands are dry in the winter - perfect little size for my handbag and to take into the shop floor with me (working with shoe boxes all the time dries my hands even more!) and a cupcake lipgloss. One of the things I said was I was very girly and loved pink and this just sums me up completely! 

I was completely overwhelmed by the gifts my secret Santa put together for me, it was like she knew me so well to get everything so spot on. The letter I got was really lovely and I loved the personalised touch, so I would like to say a massive thank you to my gorgeous Secret Santa :

Please visit her fabulous blog http://www.zeenaxena.com/ or follow her here on twitter @zeenaxena.

Thanks so much sweets! I hope everyone else was as lucky as me when it came to their Secret Santa swaps.

Mwah x

BEAUTY BOX SWAP

Evening lovelies!

After chatting to my lovely friend Chloe from Clo's beauty spot  about my holiday to America we decided to do a box swap - I would buy cosmetics in America for her and she would buy cosmetics from the UK for me and we would post them out to each other. I'm sure you have all heard of a box swap before but if not basically you both choose a budget, mention things you really don't like, for example I told Clo I don't think red lipstick suits me, and then you buy items you think the other would like! Its a great way to find new products you haven't tried before or to get your hands on some items you can't get in your country.

So below are the items Chloe sent me, she put little notes with each item to explain why she bought it which I thought was super cute =)

MUA Undress me too eye shadow palette

Barry M Eye shadow pencil 

If you can read the note she has put noticed that you love statement necklaces so thought you'd like this one. I love it!! From Primark. 

This bracelet she brought all the way back from her holiday in Turkey!!

I am so happy with all the items Chloe bought me - I love MUA I have one of their other eye shadow palettes, I've always wanted to try the colour tattoo and love burgundy at the moment (I think we all do this time of year =)), never really tried eye pencils so that was great and always need a lip product for the winter I have a terrible habit of biting my lips.

So first impressions were great! Unpacking the box was really exciting especially reading all the notes and seeing why she had chosen the products she had. The jewellery was completely unexpected but is so me and I love it.

So far I have experimented with the MUA eye palette and the Maybelline colour tattoo eye shadow; below are the looks I created. (I also created a more neutral look for a wedding here.)

MUA palette using colours Shy in the tear duct and under the brows, Lavish in the crease, Exposed on the lid and corrupt in the outer corner.

Here I used Maybelline Colour Tattoo as a base and then Fiery (gold) from the MUA palette on the eye lid, Naked in the tear duct and Wink in the outer corner. Used Lavish in the crease again.

Here I used the Maybelline as the base, and a mixture of all the golds and bronze tones in the palette and blended it out with Lavish again.

Here is just a fun look I created for Halloween! 

 I have used the Barry M eye pencil on my water line and it definitely brightens up the eye area and is easy to use, doesn't hurt the eye at all. The Nivea smells incredible, gives the lips a neutral sheen which I love.

I adore the MUA palette will definitely be a staple in my collection - the colours are stunning I love golds and bronze tones they blend really well and have fantastic staying power! The texture is really silky and the colour pay off is top notch. I adore the Maybelline Colour Tattoo - it takes on new dimensions and colours when you use it as a base and layer it with other colours but also stands well on its own if you use it as an all over lid colour by itself. Its really easy to blend and layer and doesn't feel heavy on the lid for a cream shadow.

Thank you so much Chloe! I love my goodies =)

Have you done box swaps? Have you tried any of these products?

See you soon =)

Nicola x

AUTUMNAL MAKEUP LOOK

Hi lovelies!

So one of my many beauty purchases from America was the Cover Girl eye enhancers palette in colour 222 - I bought quite a bit of CG as I have always loved the brand but really struggle to get hold of it in the UK so really wanted to stock up while I was in the US. With my Walgreens card all CG cosmetics were buy one get one 50% so I really went to town! This palette in particular stuck out for the mix of colours and the gorgeous deep shimmery burgundy colour at the end. This palette is a great size to keep in your handbag for touch ups throughout the day or for an easy day to night transition.
 The colours have a silky texture and blend really easily together, for today I wanted to create a deep autumnal look with strong eye make-up and keep the rest of the face really neutral.
I used the burgundy all over my lids, blended it out into my crease along with a bit of the black and used the white shimmer to high light my brow bones and the corners of my eyes. On the rest of my face is:
Benefit They're Real Mascara
Bourjois Perfect 123 Foundation
Rimmel Stay Matte Long Lasting Pressed Powder
Clinique Blusher in 114 Iced Lotus
MUA Pro-Brow Kit
Nivea Lip Gloss
I am a massive fan of CG but I really adore this palette - there are so many combinations without bringing in any other palettes so its really handy for use on the go or last minute plans! The colours wore really well - I always prep my eyes with MUA eyeshadow primer but the intensity of the colours lasted all day with very little creasing. I really like the contrast of strong, dark eyes with light neutral lips perfect for day wear.

Have any of you tried the CG eye palettes? What looks would you create with these colours?
Nicola x

BOURJOIS 123 PERFECT MATCH FOUNDATION: A REVIEW

As someone who suffers from oily skin and has to use blotting sheets numerous times a day (problems!) I am forever trying out new foundations sucked in by their claims of “all day matt finish” and “no more shine” but have yet to find one that stays true to its claim.
After trying a few Bourjois products - adore their nail varnishes and shimmer shine liquid eye shadows - I thought I’d try one of theirs. I tweeted Bourjois asking which of their foundations they would recommend and within no time at all they replied to try their 123 perfect match foundation. Naturally I ran straight over to boots to grab a bottle. I had no problem finding my colour match (I usually find even the lightest is too dark for my skin) paid and couldn’t wait to try it.
It comes in a glass bottle with a fitted pump - love the packaging feels expensive and worth the £10.99 price tag!
One pump is plenty for the coverage I like - the foundation smells slightly fruity not at all like a cosmetic which I LOVE! It has quite a runny consistency which makes it very easy to blend in using my favourite too - Nanshy flat top kabooki brush- and feels almost like there is no product on your skin at all, making it perfect for the summer. The coverage is easily build-able and looks very natural on the skin. I applied the foundation on top of my primer and set it with my MUA translucent powder, added my blush and was ready for the day.
Usually I have to blot a couple of hours into the day around my nose, chin, cheeks and forehead however I was completely surprised to find that my skin FINALLY had that matt finish I have been after for so long.
I must add a note here that I still had to blot my forehead but I have a full thick fringe so this would happen with any product.

I cannot say a word against this product, if you struggle with oily skin or are looking for a new lightweight foundation to experiment with this is definitely worth a try!

I'M NICOLA AND I'M A BEAUTY ADDICT...

At the age of 25 I have decided that I am OBSESSED with makeup, I spend most of my time watching youtube videos about makeup, makeup hauls and makeup tips. Yes it has taken me a long time to fall in love with makeup but I am now making up for lost time my collecting and experimenting with as many brands and products as my pay cheque will allow! 

(Just a brief insert - here are some of my absolute favourite youtube beauty gurus: http://www.youtube.com/user/CarliBel55, http://www.youtube.com/user/saturdaynightsalrite,  http://www.youtube.com/user/Jaclynhill1 and http://www.youtube.com/user/shaaanxo).

So here are some of the makeup looks I have created:

I have set up my own little ‘beauty station’ and sit there for a considerable amount of time experimenting with new looks, colours and products and I am really enjoying it! I never realised how much you can change and enhance your features with a few simple products and makeup tools!

I have also got my facial routine down to a tea at the moment - it always helps to start on a well cleaned and maintained canvas! 

What do you guys think? How many of you try to recreate looks seen in beauty videos? Do you know what your doing or just playing at makeup like me?! Would love to hear your recommendations or tips!