CHANEL LE TEINT

I'm always on the look out for a good foundation. In fact it's my favourite type of product to review. For anyone who hasn't read this blog, I have oily skin. I also have very specific ideas of how I want my foundation, I need oil control but I don't want my skin to look matte or flat. Basically in an ideal world I want a semi matte foundation with great oil control that makes my skin look youthful and glowy. Now only if I could find it. As usual my quest continues.

So the product I'm reviewing today is obviously the Chanel Le Teint foundation. This foundation is described as a matte finish but with sheer luminous coverage. It's an incredibly thin and breathable foundation. It is also said to be a very long wearing foundation. I made the dumb dumb error of getting matched to this when I was using fake tan, so this fits me perfectly when I can be fucking arsed to tan.  What a bloody school girl error.  Other than the fact this is a good two shades darker than my natural skin tone, this foundation is really nice. It has such a beautiful finish it is matte but it's also very glowy, which isn't an easy combo to master.
As always the foundation smells incredible, which I really like there's nothing worse than plastering you're face in something that smells like emulsion. Another channel trademark besides the scent is the incredible packaging. I love a glass bottle it just makes everything seem a little more luxe. Bonus it comes with a pump, which I honestly think every bloody foundation should. In terms of price, it's definitely up there at £37 for a bottle it's not really a run to Tesco for a pint of milk foundation.
 The coverage can definitely be built up to full, without looking thick and cakey, just what we like! I naturally have large pores and I can say that this glides over the textured skin, without settling into any crevices. I tend to get a lot of creasing in my chin and under my eyes but this managed to keep that at bay. I think it's actually a pretty good foundation for us greasy girls. It handled all my problem areas pretty well and that's all I can ask for really.
 In terms of longevity I would say this does have pretty  good stay power. I was wearing this whilst I was hosting my birthday gathering and was in and out of a boiling kitchen checking on food and it did not budge. It then survived a night out in Newcastle and was still in pretty good condition when I returned home at 3 in the morning. It also photographs beautifully with and without flash (if I do say so myself). I really rate this foundation, it is expensive but for the results it gives I don't mind coughing up the cash. Im just a bit pissed that I got a darker colour.. next month I think I'll splurge on a lighter everyday/ winter shade.

HUDA BEAUTY OBSESSIONS

Huda beauty eyeshadows have always intrigued me, I desperately wanted to get my hands on the rose gold palette when it first came out. Unfortunately at the time it sold out and after watching mixed reviews on YT I decided not to buy it. However there's always been this curiosity; but being a little bit skint I didn't want to throw nearly 60 smackers away on something that could be disappointing. When the obsessions palette came out last week, I finally threw caution to the wind and decided to try her shadows. The idea was that it was only £25 and I could live with that money loss... That was until I seen the shades and ended up spending £50 on two palettes because I couldn't choose. So rationale went out the window and by god I'm glad it did!

I purchased The Smokey and The mauve palette because I thought the two would work nicely together. I have to say that at the moment the smokey palette is my firm favourite. Looking online I expected the Mauve to be more cool toned and well.. mauve. To me it's more pink. Don't get me wrong I like the Mauve palette it's just not quite what I was expecting colour wise. I'm still pretty happy with the colour selection because I truly believe that I don't own anything similar. I have played with the idea of getting the warm brown palette, and I still might. At the moment however I think I'm taking a little break from warm eyeshadows (please don't hold me to that). I probably will cave but that's my current take on the situation. 

What I do know is that after trying these little palettes is that I am more than happy to plunge 60 quid into one of her larger palettes. The quality of these eyeshadows is amazing. I'm truly impressed with how pigmented and buttery these are. Naturally like high pigmented shadows fallout can be an issue, but armed with that knowledge in hand if you use a light hand it shouldn't be a problem. Her metallic shades are some of the most pigmented and smooth shadows I've ever used and very little product goes a long way. Her mattes are a little more dry but they really pack a punch, I am so impressed with the black shade. I find getting a true black eyeshadow a little bit of a chore, so to have a great shadow in such handy travel packaging is an instant win. I think each palette has the perfect components to create a full eye look from, which is always important if you are travelling light. There's not a lot that I don't like about these palettes, which is something I don't say often. My only critique is that I would love the shadows to have names... But that's just a saddo thing a blogger would pick up on. 

For £25 a palette I think you get great value for money. The pan size is actually pretty good, near on full size but in a very compact and travel friendly packaging. I love that it also has a decent sized mirror and I can say a good quality mirror at that. I can recommend this to anyone who is struggling to buy an avid beauty enthusiast something for Christmas. It's such good quality and not too expensive making it a perfect gift... or self gift, I won't tell if you won't! I've included some swatches below, I apologise about the lighting for the mauve palette it got a little gloomy outside but I assure you the metallic's are just as strong in that as they are in the smokey palette.

THE GREAT BROWNANZA

This time of year is bloody great for makeup. Every brand either brings out a fabulous Christmas collection or puts together some great little gift sets. I have to say I am a sucker for both of these things. One particular set that caught my eye, was the Benefit brownanza 'wardrobe' gift set. Like always I was drawn in by the packaging because its adorable (albeit impractical), but what truly sold it to me was the fact I truly think it is good value for money. You get five full items and two brow accessories. This set retails for £49.50 and claims to included over £120 worth of products. I added all the products individually bar one of the tools that I couldn't get a price for and it came to £120 on the nose, so it's clear that this is great value for money.

So whats in the set? For anyone unfamiliar with these products I'm gonna give a brief overview of what this set includes and my personal opinion on the product. Starting with my favourite product in this set the Ka-brow. As you can tell from the photo I have been using this a lot. I got this set in shade three and It's a really good match colour wise for me. I think the packaging is sweet but for me the brush handle is more of a novelty than an everyday working product. The brush with the spoolie that comes in this set is much more sturdy and dense, so it gives a more precise line. I'd recommend using that more than the attached brush. Even if you don't get this set but use Ka-brow or another brow pomade I'd say go buy that brush I really think it's a great little angled brush. 

Next up is the Gimme Brow which is a tinted brow gel. This product I use on days when I'm just popping to the shop, running errands or walking the dog. Minimal makeup days to put it more precisely. This plumps up your brows and darkens them slightly. To be honest I use it to make my brows look a little more groomed, I don't apply to much because I have quite dense brows anyway so thickness is not really an issue for me. I just find it keeps everything neat and adds a little colour.

In partnership with the Ka-brow I've been using the Goof Proof pencil, just to fill in the front of my brows where it should be less harsh. I think it's a good pencil and I like the colour. Once again on minimal makeup days I just fill sparse places with this or use it to neaten up the shape of my brows. I like the product and I'll use it up but I don't know if I'd repurchase, simply because I've used comparable products and I think I like a thinner tip. 

I was dubious about this product, in fact I thought I was going to hate it. I imagined images of bold white eyeshadow under the brow arch and thought it would have a similar trashy effect. I was wrong and pleasantly surprised. This blends out to a lovely barely noticeable colour but just adds an extra refinement to the neatness of your brows. It has become a staple in my brow routine and I think its here to stay in my makeup bag.

Lastly is the Brow-zings. This is probably the only product that I will not use out of this set. I'm yet to try it simply because I'm not a huge fan of powder in my brows. I used to use these type of products back in the day but recently I've been more interested in using pomades and pencils. Just because I feel it's sharper and you have more control. I will keep the product just for when I run out of everything else but I can't see myself reverting back to powder any time soon. 

I feel a little embarrassed saying that prior to this purchase I had never tried any of benefits brow products, but it's true. I'm so glad that I finally tried them out and the Ka-brow has wormed it's way into my daily routine. I think this is a great introduction gift for someone who may have not used these before and clearly a good buy for a true fan of these products. Hope this was useful and that I have interested you in this gift set, because I really think it's a little cracker.

HALLOWEEN COUNTDOWN: THE JOKER

 Seen as though my face is currently recovering from flu, my very tolerant boyfriend let me continue this series and do a Halloween look on him. I wanted to play with latex and do a slit mouth, so naturally I thought of doing the joker. Apart from being pretty laborious layering all that latex and loo   roll the rest of the look is really simple, white face, black eyes and green hair. If you are wearing a lower cut top you could also do some tattoos. I think it'd be great to write wanna play a game across the chest. Simple but effective! Hope you're all having a good Halloween weekend. Hopefully I can cram in a couple last looks in before Tuesday! Oh and thanks again Nath.

HALLOWEEN COUTDOWN: NEON SKULL

The second post in this Halloween series! A variation of my favourite skull look, taking it up a notch skill wise by incorporating layering colour. I just wanted to show you how much you can do with a skull you can really make it unique in any colour. I had seen posts on pinterest of neon skulls and this is my tribute to the trend, I think this would look so sick in neon blue or bright green. It would also be so easy to glam this out with some rhinestones and glitter to make a really eccentric sugar skull. 

For this type of heavy coloured look I recommend using a base of face paint and then adding detail and shading with eyeshadows and liquid eyeliners. That's just my humble opinion ultimately its what you find best and easiest. I hope you enjoyed the look and look out for my next Halloween look on Monday. I promise it won't be another skull.

HALLOWEEN COUNTDOWN: SULTRY SKULL

Beside my birthday Halloween is the reason I love October. I'm going to try and attempt to bring you a few halloween inspo posts in the last week and half before halloween. I'm going to attempt to get as creative as possible and hopefully do some designs that reflect everyone capabilities. Starting with a pretty easy one but a firm favourite the skull. If you aren't that skilled with makeup this one can be pretty simple to recreate. The only fiddly bit is the mouth but if you use a thin enough brush it is easy enough. 

 I usually opt for a full white face but this year I went for a sort of sugar skull kinda vibe without all the embellishments. Just a tip if your going to do this opt for eyeliner and eyeshadow over face paint its so much more precise. I used a white liner from Nyx and just a collection black liner, It lasts so much longer than face paint and it actually dries down so your not covered in paint by the end of the night. It's always nice to bring the design down your chest and if your arms are exposed it looks great to draw down them too. Really the worlds your oyster in terms of how far you want to take it.

Hope you are all as excited for halloween as me and that you enjoy this little series of posts if you have any look suggestions feel free to let me know! 

Bow Bear's 5th Birthday

I'm one of those sad people who like to treat their dogs like children. If you are also one of those people, or maybe you just like the idea of dogs dressed in party hats this is the post for you. I have had my little Maltese bow for five years now and she is the apple of my eye. My boyfriend is fully aware that in the event of a fire the dogs rescued before him and that the dog gets prime sleeping spot on the bed, we mere humans must work around her desired position. As clearly stated I spoil her rotten and this year is no exception because I decided to throw her a little birthday party. I sourced a dog friendly birthday cake and bought some party hats for her and her best pal Millie. The cake is mainly why I want to post this, as well as the fact that they both look adorable.  The cake is from https://www.doggiepatisserie.co.uk ( I ordered via not on the highstreet) and not only does it look incredible, the dogs really enjoyed it. My little white fluff ball is pretty picky and she wolfed this down so it must be tasty. Not only that but I ordered this pretty late and it still arrived on her birthday exactly, despite that the delivery states it can take longer but they will try to meet your delivery needs. I am so impressed with this business its clear a lot of thought is put into it and they even add your dogs name for no extra charge. So if you want to be a little extra like me, I can't recommend this company enough. Final thing to add is that I considered having a slice myself it smelt that bloody good! Oh and I got the party hats from pound land in case anyone is curious!