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

SKIN CARE TAG

My lovely friend Chloe  tagged me to do the skin care post, it has taken me a while as I’ve been on holiday (blog coming soon!) but here it is, I hope you like it =)

Describe your skin care routine in 5 words.

Exfoliate, wash, tone, moisturise, massage ( technically massage and moisturise come hand in hand, I tend to massage my face cream into my skin - I read somewhere it helps the blood flow in your face but to be honest I just do it because it feels nice!)

What’s your skin type?

Combination but more towards oily. I get some dry patches and terrible eczema in the winter but have a very oily tzone (until recently!).

Top blemish zapper?

Sudocrem - I have relied on this for as long as I can remember!

Face wipes - yay or nay?

For me its definitely a no - they leave my skin feeling sticky and my pores clogged - they also make me lazy, if I have face wipes lying around the house and I get back late or am too tired I tend to head for these in favour of my normal skin care routine, not good!

Toner - yay or nay?

I love toner I have always used it and I feel like my pores are tighter after using it - think its just me thought!

High-end skin care or high-end makeup?

I can’t say I’ve actually used much of either - I used to use a lot of Clinique make-up and have used YSL touch éclat but apart from that I am definitely a high-street girl (my bank account is very happy with this fact!). However if I had to choose I would go with high-end skin care as not only have I heard very good things about skin care from Clinique and Liz Earl but I believe that no matter how expensive the make up is if your base isn’t right it will never feel perfect. 

What’s the most unusual skin care product you’ve tried?

Apart from using numerous different face masks and washes I haven’t really experimented much apart from using lemon juice to try and reduce spots and take away streaky fake tan, toothpaste on spots and cold tea bags on my eyes! 

Tell us your top skin care tip.

Moisturise! I was always under the impression that if you had oily skin you shouldn’t moisturise but I couldn’t have been more wrong. This week I returned from my summer holiday to America with this fantastic face moisturiser from The Naples Soap Company - my skin feels so soft and smooth afterwards and my oily skin has been significantly reduced!

I hope you enjoyed my skin care post - nothing revolutionary but just what works for me =)

I now tag :

Leanne from lipsticksoflove.blogspot.co.uk

Shannon from raspberrykiss.co.uk

Becki from right-up-my-street.blogspot.co.uk

Beth from bethanyworall.com

Nicola x

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!