Charlotte Tilbury Mini Miracle Eye Wand

One of the curses of having very pale skin is that I have really prominent dark circles under my eyes. I need my under eye products to give me some pretty good coverage to get the darkness under control and for this reason I never normally stray far from my trusty Collection Lasting Perfection Concealer. As were right in the middle of Winter at the moment, my skin has become really dehydrated and I've found my Collection concealer just isn't sitting right under my eyes. As no product of Charlotte Tilbury's has failed me yet I decided to give this a go - the Mini Miracle Eye Wand. 

This double ended pen holds an eye cream on one end and a brightening concealer on the other. As with everything from Charlotte's line, the product is packaged beautifully in pink and rose gold tones. When purchasing this, I was apprehensive as I didn't think I'd get much use of of the eye cream side of the wand. However I've actually found it really handy as it makes sure I never skip this step - something I'm often guilty of when I'm in a rush. The extra moisture helps the concealer sit perfectly on skin and brightens up the under eye area nicely. Although I'm used to a higher coverage concealing products, I was surprised to find this offers a nice amount of coverage and really does the job well. It takes care of my dark circles leaving the under eyes looking fresh and awake. I picked shade 2, which is pale and yellow in tone. 

This under eye concealer really took me by surprise as I didn't expect to love it as much as I do. If your looking for a medium coverage, brightening and hydrating under eye concealer then this is definitely one to look into. My only worry is that it won't last very long (as I find with all pen style products) and as its not the cheapest option this could prove not very healthy for my bank account! Have you tried the Mini Miracle Eye Wand, or know of any budget alternatives? Leave a comment to let me know!

Nars Sheer Glow Foundation

The Nars Sheer Glow Foundation has been a blogger favourite for years, so you can definitely consider me late to the party on this one. I did actually try this years and years ago, when I was seriously misguided in shade selection and ended up picking up the shade Barcelona - which of course was completely unusable. Years later and I was looking for a foundation more matte in finish (which despite the name, this is) and decided to give the Sheer Glow another go.

This time I picked up the shade Fiji which is a perfect match. As I am pretty much always fake tanned, I tend to match my foundations to my tanned shade instead of my natural skin tone. Fiji is just slightly lighter than the shade I am after tanning, meaning with bronzer it matches perfectly but also continues to be wearable as my tan fades. The coverage is medium but definitely can be built up to full and while its not typically 'glowy' like the name suggests, it offers a radiant looking, velvety finish. One thing I will say about this foundation is that it does cling slightly to any dry patches, so if your someone that suffers with any flakiness then this may not be the best option for you. Luckily this isn't a problem for me as although my skin is dehydrated, I don't have any patches of rough or dry skin. This foundation provides a good days wear on me with a light dusting of setting powder, although I don't have particularly oily skin so longevity isn't usually a huge issue for me. My one issue is the need to buy a pump for the bottle separately, when this is something that most foundations come with and would be very easy for Nars to provide.

I've been wearing this foundation almost exclusively for the last month and it is up there with my all time favourites (Giorgio Armani Luminous Silk and Loreal True Match). However, both of those offer quite a dewy finish, so i've really been enjoying this more mattefying option for the Winter months. I love trying out different foundations so if you've got any recommendations, leave a comment to let me know!

Smashbox 'Shape Matters' Palette

While wandering the aisles of Boots (a pretty standard post uni ritual) I came across this gorgeous Shape Matters Palette from Smashbox. A new release for Autumn 2015, this palette is currently on an amazing introductory promotion meaning I picked this up for just £30.00! This is really such a great deal, as it contains all three shades from the Contour Kit (which alone retails for £35.00), along with a second highlight shade, nine powder eye shadows, two brow shades and a wax.

This is a wonderful all round face palette, especially for Make up Artists like myself or anyone that travels frequently. The Contour Kit in particular is something I've been lusting after for a long time and the shades really lived up to my expectations. There is a bronzer, contour shade and two highlight shades: one matte, aptly named Highlight and one sheeny called Glow. The bronzer is very warming which I find to be a nice contrast to the cool undertones of the contour shade making it really easy to sculpt the face without leaving the skin looking dull. Highlight works perfectly to set cream highlighters and under eye concealer, or to just add brightness to the face, while Glow imparts a lovely subtle sheen which after running out of my Kevin Aucoin By Candlelight is something I've been lacking in my collection.

The two brow powders included would be wearable for most people and I've found them to mix together well to create the perfect shade. I would say the palest of blondes may even find Taupe (the lightest shade) a little too dark for them, but thankfully for me this isn't a problem. The one thing I'm yet to try is the brow wax as I find they never usually work on me, but its a good inclusion for people with unruly brows or to use as part of a kit.

The eye shades are very well pigmented and creamy in feel and although the shimmery shades are prone to a teeny bit of fallout, this is no problem for me as I prefer my shadows to have an easily blend able texture. Another thing I really like is selection of colours chosen, ranging from pale lid colours such as Vanilla to contrasting mattes like Sumatra to run through the crease, along with pretty purples Posh & Aubergine to keep things a little interesting. Platinum definitely deserves a special mention - its a stunning browny gold shade (that definitely does not do it justice) that I have found myself gravitating towards every day.

This palette is currently out of stock on the Boots website but there were loads on the shelf in my local store so its definitely worth checking out. I believe it retails at full price for £60.00 which I know is pricey, but if you are a fan of all the products inside or looking for a convenient addition to your make up kit, it still works out far cheaper than buying the products individually.

The Winter Glow Givers

Winter is coming and for me I know that means saying hello to a dull, grey, ghoulish complexion. I love dewy skin all year round, I feel a glow can really make you look so much more alive, even if your wearing barely any make up. So I thought I would share some of my favourite products for helping your skin to look radiant through the colder months. Two of these products are more of a primer type thing, where as the other two I would call a typical cream highlighter formula. Though personally, I would use most of these products over or under make up. 

The first is the M.A.C Strobe Cream. This is a product which used to be talked about frequently online, but I haven't really heard anyone mention it in years. It has always remained one of my favourites, a creamy formula which feels moisturising on the skin and leaves an amazing dewy glow. This product really is a multi-tasker, you can use it under, over or mixed in to your base and it never fails to inject some life into your skin! A great cheaper alternative is Hocus Focus by Soap and Glory. Personally I find this a more subtle illuminator, which makes it great for day time. I can imagine this would look lovely on darker skins, as it has a more golden tone to the highlight. Soap and Glory products are reasonably priced and really easy to get hold of in Boots stores too. 

Next up is the NARS Multiple in Copacabana. This is a cream highlighter which is really pretty dabbed onto the tops of the cheekbones, it has a slight shimmer to it that makes it the perfect highlighter for evenings. This product is the only one out of the four that I wouldn't recommend using under your base, as you don't want any shimmer to travel to unwanted parts of your face whilst applying your foundation! 

I have repurchaced the M.A.C Cream Colour Base in Pearl so many times, it is such a perfect all round highlighter for my skin tone. I use this in so many ways... under or over my foundation, mixed with cream blushers, or even as an eye base. The formula is creamy and easily blended, and I find the end finish I get much more natural than a powder highlight. 

Xen Tan Round-Up

As a long term tanning addict I have tried and tested quite a few over the years. I wear tan pretty much all the time, and Xen Tan is a brand I've loved for a while now. I find them to be the most long lasting on my horribly dry skin, and love the natural colour they give.

So lets start with possibly the most hyped up tan of all time.. the Xen Tan Dark Lotion Absolute Luxe. A quick note about this product is that I don't actually find it to be all that dark. After one layer, I'm left with a natural glow, so normally I would use this for two consecutive days to get to the colour I want. This product also doesn't really have a guide colour, on my pale skin tone it shows up slightly, but on anyone darker than me you really wouldn't be able to see where you have applied, which may be a worry for some! Aside from that, due to its luxurious and moisturising formula, I find this the most long lasting tan that I've tried.

The second product I've tried from Xen Tan is their original Dark Lotion Weekly Self Tan. This is a really great all rounder, it leaves you with a lovely olive toned tan, feels moisturising on the skin, and I think you get a good amount of product for your money. I also really like the packaging of this tan, it may not be as fancy but the pump is really practical as it helps you use an even amount of product round your body.

The most recent addition is the Xen Tan Moroccan Tan.  From first application I fell in love with the seriously dark colour of this product. I love a really really deep tan, and this pulls that off on my pale skin with out looking too orange or un natural. The formula is more of a gel consistency as opposed to the other two which are true lotions, but due to the Argan Oil enriched formula, the Moroccan tan still feels moisturising.

Its worth mentioning that all of the Xen Tan products smell lovely too, Absolute Luxe and Dark Lotion have a warm marzipan sort of scent, while Moroccan tan smells of coconut and holidays!

Price wise, none of these tans are the cheapest, I find the pricing is on par with the likes of St Tropez, but I think Xen Tans range of products perform much better.

Thanks for reading, and if you have any other suggestions of tans that I would like then please comment below, I'm always looking for an excuse to spend money!

THE REVIEW - By Terry Cellularose Blush Glace in Rose Melba

I picked up this blush a while ago when I had a Space NK gift card to spend. I was apprehensive due to the cost, but the texture, packaging, fragrance, and basically everything drew me in. I love By Terry as a brand, and find their products always perform brilliantly. This blush is no exception, I chose the shade Rose Melba which is a brightened pale pink with a gold sheen, which appears almost neon in the jar. The texture is like a watery jelly, which once blended in with your fingers creates the most natural, lit from within glow that I have found with any cheek product. Due to the watery consistency, it looks like the colour is coming from under your skin, and they leave a dewy finish on the cheeks. I find this lasts most of the day on me, and fades naturally with my foundation. I would love to try the other two colours, next on the list being 'Frozen Petal' which is more of a rosy shade.

By Terry Cellularose Blush Glace in Rose Melba