What's in my Birchbox? | December 2014

FINALLY!!!

After much anticipation and christmas postal service delays at an all time high, I finally received my December Birchbox yesterday- and boy was it worth the wait! 

The final box of 2014 is a collaboration with accessories designer extraordinary Sophia Webster. An seeing as the festive season is now in full swing, what better way to celebrate than with an exclusive Sophia Webster designed purse, an exclusive Benefit cracker with a little surprise inside and an Eyeko eyeshadow stick in a gorgeous shimmery shade! Let the good times roll!

Elemental Herbology Facial Glow Radiance Peel | £40

Rejuvenates your complexion with natural actives derived from apples,papayas and orange peel. Simple massage into skin using small,circular motions. Leave for 4 mins and rinse with warm water. I tried a small bit on my hand when I first opened this box, and it smells so fruity and luxurious.

BiOrganics Perfect Balance Rebalancing Shampoo | £9

A replenishing shampoo for all hair types with a aromatic blend of lavender, chamomile and aloe vera. Smells so spa like! 

Trilogy Certified Organic Rosehip Oil | £16.50

A fine blend of pure rose hip oil for when your skin's in a need of some extra nourishment. I've always been quite sceptical about face oils, as the one I've tried have always been greasy and heavy, so I will see how this compares.

Models Own Nail Polish in Absinthe | £5 

Oh my God I love this nail polish! Perfect for christmas- or any special occasion really. Matte, yet sparkly, this multi-dimensional shade has a velvety finish that I'm obsessed with. And the best part is - no top coat needed! 

Eyeko Fat Eye Stick in Smoke | £8

Now... This colour is gorgeous don't get me wrong- but I'm not a fan of black smokey colours around my eyes. Usually I like more softer smokes like chocolate browns, bronzes and gold. I feel like sometimes because my complexion is a bit more pale, black can tend to make me look washed our and even more pale. But I'm all for an easy application with the jumbo pigmented pencil. I think I will more likely use this as an eyeliner colour and smoke out, rather than all over the lid as a base. But thats not to say I don't like this product- so don't get your knickers in a twist!

Benefit High Beam Christmas Cracker | £19.50

This is probably one of my holy grail products ever ever ever! A suits-all-skintones liquid illuminator which gives you that J-Lo-esque glow. Plus it comes in the cutest little christmas cracker ever. Bravo Birchbox!

LIFESTYLE

Sophia Webster Purse | £25

Take a walk on the wild side with this leopard print pouch from the coveted designer. This is adorable and anything with a little leopard print gets a yes in my book. 

December Birchbox 10/10 from me!! 

If you would like to subscribe to Birchbox for £10 per month + P&P - Click Here!

Christmas Makeup Look | Red Lip

                           

                                                                               Hi Guys!

I thought I'd do a quick and simple christmas look that can easily be worn in the daytime or add a bit of glitter for a classic night time party look! I was a bit out of my comfort zone adding a red lip but I think it doesn't look too bad. 

Products Used :-

Laura Mercier Foundation Primer- Buy it here!

Makeup Forever HD Foundation in N117- Buy it here!

Maybelline Eraser Concealer in Light- Buy it here!

Collection Lasting Perfect Concealer- Buy it here!

Sleek Brow Kit in Light- Buy it here!

Sleek Contour Kit in Light- Buy it here!

MAC Blush in Pinch Me- Buy it here!

MAC Mineralize Skin Finish in Soft and Gentle- Buy it here!

Urban Decay Naked 3 Palette (Trick on the lid + Factory in the crease)- Buy it here!

MAC Vanilla Eyeshadow (inner corners and highlight)- Buy it here!

MAC Pigment in Tan- Buy it here!

Collection Glam Crystal Glitter Liner in Funk- Buy it here!

Maybelline 24hr Gel Liner in Black (used with a Real Techniques Angled Brush)- Buy it here!

MAC Sized to Go False Lash- Buy it here!

Sleek Lipstick in Stiletto- Buy it here!

Not a lot then? I really enjoyed creating this look- simple yet chic. 

Liss xx

Top 10 Beauty Products under £10

Who's ready for some beauty bargains?

Here are my top 10 products for under a tenner, and believe me it was so hard to choose just 10!

L'oreal Nude Magique Eau De Teint Foundation - £9.99- Boots

This is incredibly similar to my beloved Bare Minerals Bare Skin Foundation (Review Here) I personally hate a heavy based foundation- but I still want flawless coverage. Shake well and add a few drops to your finger tips to feel a texture that is "lighter than water" It's incredible for those who are just starting out wearing makeup for school, or for those who like me, want to have amazing coverage but not feel like you have anything on your skin. And we all know that L'oreal provides an extensive range of shades for all skin tones, so it really is worth checking out!

Collection Lasting Perfection Concealer - £4.19- Boots

I highly doubt that any beauty blogger or Youtuber has never heard of this product. When I first started to read blogs and watch makeup videos online this was a beauty staple- and it's star is still shining! It conceals flaws, imperfections and blemishes for upto 16 hours and is transfer resistant - what more could you ask for? I really like this for under the eyes as it doesn't seem to crease as much as other concealers do. A win - win in my eyes!

Slee Contour Kit - £6.49- Superdrug

Fat faces rejoice!!! This for me is the ultimate sculpting and highlighting powder to slim down my chubby cheeks and fake them defined cheekbones. I use the shade "Light" and its perfect for me. The contour powder is matte so it looks quite natural and the iridescent highlighter adds a subtle glow. My only advise is that all Sleek products have a lot of pigment- so a little goes a long way.

LOreal Paris Colour Riche Nudes Collection - £6.99- Boots

All hail my nude lip lovers! I am a massive fan of all LOreal Lipsticks so when they released a nude collection tailor made for all skin types, you can imagine the ear to ear grin. My personal favourite is the Cheryl and Eva nudes - the closest I'm ever gonna get to looking like Cheryl and Eva right? Creamy formulated and long lasting - I will forever repurchase.

Maybelline Falsies Mascara - £7.99- Boots

Instant false lash glam with a flare. Patented spoon curler brush fans out lashes from corner-to-corner, while the pro-keratin formula builds up intense volume without clumping. Most of the time I really haven't got the patience to attempt false lashes- so this is a perfect alternative.

Rimmel Glameyes Quad Eyeshadow in Smokey Brun - £6.99- Boots

Get ready to get your glam on ladies! This perfect little quad is simple and easy to pop in your makeup bag for instant glamify-ing on the go. I can use this for natural daytime looks and smokey chic night time looks to. The eyeshadows are very soft, shimmery and really easy to blend.

No7 Pampering Dry Skin Oil Body Spray - £7.50- Boots

I love pampering products. But sometimes I really hate the greasy-ness of a body oil or body lotion. I just want something that is quick and sinks in nicely without any residue. This dry oil gives skin an instant boost with just a few sprays. It contains almond oil and vitamin E to soothe and soften the skin and on a plus note, it smells incredible!!

LOreal Paris Elnett Satin Hairspray - £6.60- Boots

As legendary as it comes. Personally this is the one product that has been passed down through generations in my family - my nan, my mum, me have all used this- and I will most probably pass this down to my children!  Fine spray and easy to comb out- no crispy tangles.

OPI Nail Envy Nail Strengthener - £9.33- Amazon

BEAUTY BARGAIN ALERT! I love finding deals on Amazon, and when I found the OPI Nail Envy at almost half the price, I ordered backups. This is a perfect little help-me-out for all of you who are nail biters or generally have weak nails. Nails grow harder, stronger and longer whilst resisting peeling, cracking and splitting. I use this as a base coat and I love it!

Garnier Skin Naturals Soft Essentials Nourishing Day Cream - £4.70- Boots

So I recently had a stinking winter cold and with that comes dry, DRY skin- to the point of flaking. I tried my usual "sick skincare" of E45 cream and even that didn't seem to help. So whilst helping my mum with the weekly shop in Tesco, I had a little look at the new Beauty Hall (AMAZING) . I came across this Garnier cream and thought- why not? Specially formulated for dry sensitive skin, it contains rose water to soothe and soften, shea butter to nourish and vitamin E for its antioxidant properties. And it really help with the dry skin around my nose from blowing it constantly and I've continued to use it.

PERFECT FOR ANY XMAS STOCKING FILLERS!

Any other beauty favourites I should know about?

Liss xx

it's beginning to look a lot like christmas....

                                   

Just hear those sleigh bells jingling......

I'm so happy its finally December! The countdown begins. I can't wait for the savvy shopping, face stuffing and champagne toasting for the most cheerful time of the year. But now its December, I realise I am yet to buy a SINGLE present. I need to pull my socks up. 

We don't do subtle in the Molyneux household, as you can probably tell ^. So here are just a little pic of our main tree this year (we usually have 3/4!) It was really nice this year to have a little reminder of our visit to New York on our tree this year too. More pics on my Instagram!

I was thinking about some blog posts to do throughout the christmas period. Maybe do a few christmas party makeup looks/outfits?

Comment below with some ideas!

Liss xx