Gigantic Nordstrom/Sephora online haul!

My sincere apologies if this post appears somewhat thrown together-it is!!  Truth is I am currently on a business trip in Cairo and tapping away in my hotel room.  I took these pictures in a rush over the weekend before I flew here-we had family in town and so the weekend was swallowed up too.

But I wanted to quickly share my recent US hauling before I start jumping in to testing and posting reviews of what I picked up!  I think there is some really good stuff in here that I am excited to try!

First up, I have bought all three of the new Jo Malone 'Blue Skies and Blossoms' collection-I am still waiting for one to be delivered but it's the Osmanthus Blossom which is a re-promote and I have had before.  I love the coloured caps on the traditional bottles but was disappointed that the bottles didn't come with the ribbons that were shown in the online picture.  Having said that, I saw the bottles in Duty Free in Dubai on Monday and they didn't either so it's possibly just a UK thing.  These sort of scents are utterly up my street!

I also can't resist anything smelling of lemon so I threw in this new body souffle from Philosophy-iced mint lemonade sounds perfect for the hot and sticky summer months on the horizon in Dubai.

On to make up.  Firstly I picked up four of the Bobbi Brown Long Wear Cream Shadow Sticks and a replacement Trish McEvoy 24hr eyeshadow and liner stick.  My love for the Trish McEvoy formula is widely documented on my blog but you can read my full ramblings here.  I also picked up Tuxedo, Violet Plum, Goldstone and Taupe from Bobbi Brown-I have high hopes!

Next a product I fear is going to be a dud from my initial swatches-the YSL Full Metal Shadows in Onde Sable and Aquatic Copper.  I bought these because I have been loving the Armani Eye Tints and thought these would be a similar concept.  But the initial swatches seem poorly pigmented and very glittery.  I'll report back.

Also sneaking into the picture is the Tom Ford Lip Shine in the shade Chastity.  This has been on my wish list for the longest time but seemed permanently out of stock-I feared it had been discontinued.  When I saw it online I nabbed one.  Love the packaging of the Tom Ford lipsticks-so sleek!

I loved the formula of the first YSL Volupte Tint In Oil I purchased and so I bought three more!  These are uber glossy, light, juicy 'first gloss then stain' lip products and I can't wait to try these three shades! 

I picked up a couple of things from MAC-firstly the MAC Amber x 9 mini palette which is totally totally swoon-worthy!  This is the sort of product that makes me smile so much!  I believe these are yet to launch in the UK but they come in 3 variations and I chose Amber because I only own one of the shades in the palette already-and given I own over 75 MAC eyeshadows that is no mean feat.  I'll have a review up asap!  This is a brilliant neutral quad though with a great balance of matte and shimmer shades.

I also bought the Beauty Powder in Pearl Blossom from the MAC is Beauty collection.  I was really hoping it would be a re-promote of the Maleficiant collection Beauty Powder that I loved so much but it's much much pinker in the pan.  I thought initially it would be a 'sheen-y' pink blusher but when I swatched it, it looks quite 'highlighter-y' and silvery which I was quite happy with.

I bought a NARS Dual Intensity blush!  I was so excited about these but then when they were released I looked at online images and was a bit meh about them but I had to try one, so I have gone for Adoration.  Am excited to read some reviews about these as I am sure they will be popping up everywhere now.

I absolutely love the Estee Lauder Pure Color Envy formula and I picked up another one of the original formula and one of the new 'Shine' formulas.  I am expecting the 'shine' formula to be similar to the Dior 'Rouge Dior Baume' or the Chanel Rouge Coco Shine lipsticks.  My thoughts soon.  Both are nude/pink/slightly coral shades.

I also grabbed one of the new YSL Pop Water Glossy Stains in 'Wet Nude'-quite possibly one of the worst named lipsticks ever.  I wasn't a huge fan of the original glossy stain so lets see how these newer updated versions perform.

At Sephora.com I was relatively restrained (pity I wasn't at Sephora Dubai on Sunday).  I picked up 3 of the new Colorful Duo Reflects eyeshadows-I love the Sephora eyeshadows and these new limited edition versions are all duochrome which I have a bit of a weakness for.  Below is Mermaid Tail,  Sirens Charm and Iridescent Shell.

Finally I picked up two of the new Marc Jacobs Le Marc Lip Creme lipsticks in Kiss Kiss Bang Bang and Infamous.  I am hoping this newer formula will be a lot less 'slippy' than the original and not migrate outside lip lines.  I have heard it is improved.   The last thing I picked up was from Bite and it is their monthly limited edition lipstick shade in Dragon Fruit.  Bite are producing an exclusive shade each month for Sephora which is in very limited quantities and I managed to grab this on the first day it was released-sadly it's now out of stock but Bite is definitely a brand I highly recommend.

Let me know what you are interested in hearing about first and also what you have been buying recently!

Hourglass Modernist Eyeshadow Palette Haul and Swatches: Atmosphere,Obscura, and Exposure

When I saw the Hourglass Modernist Eyeshadow Palettes on Net-a-porter.com, I knew I had to try them. These 5 color eyeshadow palettes look like solidified silt on a riverbed. (Or ribbons of thick fudge in multi-flavored ice-cream.)

These shadows come in a range of gorgeous neutral tones, and the formula is INCREDIBLY pigmented. Almost to the point where they are a bit tricky to use without

Surprise Chinese Takeout Haul from NARS for the Chinese New Year

This isn't about a new release or anything of the sort. I wish it were.
But one particular press delivery made me chuckle today, so I had to snap some images of it before I dug into the box and ruined it.

In honor of the Lunar New Year which is almost here, the team at NARS sent out a Chinese-takeout themed box filled with a selection of choice goodies. It's better than fortune cookies for

Haul! Sephora, VS, Tom Ford, Armani

Hello and Happy Monday, Loves!

I hope you all had a wonderful weekend! This weekend I spent some quality time with my Bestie, which (of course) included cupcakes, girl talk, and lots o' shopping.

drool...
Oh, if Sprinkles delivered...  Wait a second, do they deliver?? I may need to look in to that.

But back to the shopping part...
I picked up some awesome new beauty goodies at Sephora and Neiman's that I'm so excited to share with you guys! I also grabbed a few new clothing items as well that I will be sharing in an upcoming video this week. Stay tuned. ;)

Check out the video below for all the beauty goodies! I hope you enjoy it!

::shop the post::

 

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Magical Sephora Haul...

There's something magical about going inside a Sephora on an early morning... No crowds, just lots of makeup-y wandering.
For me, it was even more magical because I rarely actually shop inside the store. Most of the time I order online. I'm definitely not as much of an in-store shopper as I used to be (anywhere, really).
Plus, it had been a while since I had actually shopped there, period.  And I found some extra-awesome and amazing stuff.

Ok, you get it... Lots of magic happening.

Want to see what all I got?? Check out all the details in my new video below!

::shop the post::

What about you guys?? Any new and awesome Sephora finds lately?? Let me know what you're loving!

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Lotsa' Hauls. Sephora, Gap, Baubles & More!

Hello and Happy Monday, Loves! Totally realized that I forgot to post on here about my beauty haul last week! Basically, I showed you all some goodies from an order I placed from MAC, and some new Chanel and Dior goodies I picked up during a shopping trip with my friend last week.
*If you missed that video, you can check it out on my YouTube channel here.

So during that trip, I also discovered some AMAZING things at Gap.  Because I loved my finds there so much, I took advantage of a 40% off online sale and picked up some more denim and some awesome basics! I also placed a Bite lip product-heavy Sephora order that week as well..
Oh, yeah... and I got some goodies from Henri Bendel and Baublebar.

Yeah, I put myself on a May "beauty no-buy" after that madness needless to say...

Seriously though, I found some awesome awesome things! So excited to share it with you guys! Check out my video below for all the goods...

products I picked up...

Sephora airbrush concealer brush 

Bite Madeira 

Bite Syrah 

Bite agave lip mask 

Bite whipped cherry lip scrub 

Bite Clementine 

NARS lipstick in Barbarella 

Caudelie Grape Water 

Gap light wash skinny jeans 

Gap slim cut-off shorts 

Gap sexy boyfriend jeans (dark wash) 

Gap sexy boyfriend jeans (light wash)

Gap sleeveless blouse 

Gap pocket tanks 

Gap sleeveless pocket tee 

Gap striped infinity scarf 

Baublebar Chainmaille big bib necklace (rose gold) 

Henri Bendel ring 

Henri Bendel midi ring 

Henri Bendel necklace

I hope you all have a great week! Talk to you soon!

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Sephora VIB SALE INFO & March Favorites

Hello Loves! I hope you all are having a wonderful week so far!!  THE SEPHORA VIB SALE IS HEEEERE!! Over the weekend, I posted a video all about my current product recommendations from Sephora in this huge haul video (here if you missed it). During that time, Sephora was allowing "Rouge" members to shop a bit earlier. Well, for those of you who were cursing the VIB Rouge members (I kid) during that time, now is your chance to save a bit at our favorite makeup store!

Sephora sales are pretty few and far-between, so it's always nice to be able to take advantage of these sales and stock up on things we love.  I always take advantage of these sales as a way to try pricier items that I may never purchase otherwise.  To me, saving a little bit always justifies the purchase. ;)

So shop the Sephora sale HERE today, and enter the code "VIBTICKET" at checkout to save 15% on your entire order!  (April 3-11, 2014)

Here are allll my recs for the sale...

Chocolate Bar Palette 

Anastasia Brow Pomade (I use blonde) 

Anastasia #7 brow brush 

Marc Jacobs bronzing brush

Bite Lipstick in Retsina

Sephora airbrush 56 brush 

Too Faced Perfect Lips liner in Perfect Nude 

Kat Von D Tattoo liquid liner in Trooper 

Z Pallete, Sephora edition, large 

NARS Pro Prime eye shadow base (MY FAV BASE) 

Buxom Celeste lip gloss 

Illamasqua nail polish in Jo-Mina 

Bumble and Bumble Thickening Dryspun Finish 

St. Tropez set (my favorite self-tanner) 

Hourglass Ambient Lighting blushes 

Anastasia Brow Wiz 

Anastasia Brow Gel Clear 

If you want to see more on these products, check out the two videos below! Some of them are featured in my March Favorites!

So have any of you had the chance to shop the sale yet?? What did you get?? What's on your wishlist???

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SEPHORA SALE! A Recent Haul & My Recommendations...

It's that time again! Starting today, Sephora is offering up 15% off of your ENTIRE purchase to VIB Rouge members! If you're not sure if you're a Rouge member, it may be worth it to check your account! You may have been upgraded without knowing.

So as always, I wanted to share with you guys some of my recommendations as well as some new awesome items I picked up from there! Seriously, I've recently gotten SO many awesome things from there! This haul video is full of so many great new things as well as some of my definite must-have items from Sephora if you need any ideas of what to pick up during the sale.

I hope you guys enjoy the video, and happy shopping!!

Sale Details:

Shop here and save 15% off of your entire purchase March 30- April 11, 2014

MUST USE CODE "ROUGETICKET" AT CHECKOUT

My recommendations/what I picked up:

Marc Jacobs bronzing brush 

Bite Lipsticks (LOOOVE THESE.) 

Z Pallete, Sephora edition, large 

Sephora airbrush brush 

Too Faced Perfect Lips liner in Perfect Nude (FAV LIPLINER) 

Kat Von D Tattoo liquid liner in Trooper (AWESOME) 

NARS Pro Prime eye shadow base (MY FAV BASE) 

Too Faced Sexy Lips and Lashes values set 

Buxom Celeste lip gloss 

Illamasqua nail polish in Jo-Mina 

Bumble and Bumble Thickening Dryspun Finish 

Bumble and Bumble Cityswept 

St. Tropez set (my favorite self-tanner) 

Hourglass Ambient Lighting blushes 

Anastasia Brow Pomade (I use blonde) 

Anastasia Brow Wiz 

Anastasia Brow Gel Clear 

So who's shopping the sale today?? Tell me what you picked up or what you've got your eye on!!

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Dubai Duty Free haul

So regular readers may know that with my day job I have responsibility for all of the clients in Egypt and I travel there every 3 weeks for five days at a time.

I'm a self confessed workaholic-I am either on 100% full speed and can't sit still, needing to keep my mind occupied all the time or I am running at 0% and just want to sleep for days.

My last two trips to Cairo have been particularly manic and this Thursday I was unbelievably tired.  That's the only way I can justify what I did which was lose my wallet on Thursday.

I had finished all my meetings and stopped at a hotel on the way to the airport to grab something to eat.  When I came to pay I was panic striken to discover I couldn't find my wallet which had my corporate credit card, my Emirates ID card and my e-gate card which is a fast track card that Dubai residents use to entry the country quickly at immigration.

I wasn't worried about anything except for my corporate card because I was so worried it would be used fraudulently.  Luckily, I am well known in the hotel I was having supper in because I was halfway through a pizza with no way to pay for it!

I realised I must have left it in another hotel I had been in earlier in the day-it was the only option unless it had fallen out of my bag.  The hotel I was in rang the other hotel and they said nothing had been found.  I was so upset I burst into tears and my poor driver didn't know what to do with himself.

If you have ever been to Cairo you will know that the traffic is unbelievably crazy 24 hours a day.  My driver and I debated going back to the other hotel to look for it and set off, but soon realised I had no chance of getting there and getting to the airport on time to catch my flight back to Dubai.  I couldn't believe I had been so careless.

I then burst into tears again when I realised I couldn't even tip Mohamed my driver-Mohamed has been driving for me for almost 3 years now in Cairo and is worth his weight in gold.  He often works 18 hours a day driving me around Cairo and still comes back smiling the next day.

I have always tipped him generously because wages are low in Cairo and with the downturn in tourism, holiday makers tipping has dropped significantly.  I know my tips make a difference so there I was, a sniffling mess saying 'I'm so sorry' to poor Mohamed.

After dropping me at the airport Mohamed went back to the hotel I thought I had left it in and by some miracle they had found my wallet and the hotel duty manager has given it to Mohamed for him to give it to me when I go back in a couple of weeks.  When he called me and told me he had it the relief was immense.

But there's more.  When I got back to Dubai yesterday I realised I had left my mini iPad charging in my hotel room.  I am more than 100% sure I left it there and I know exactly where it was.  I contacted the hotel and they are adamant it isn't there but I know it was.  It leads me to the very sad conclusion that it has been stolen internally by one of the staff who went into my room after I left.  I have asked the hotel to check again and am waiting to hear back.

Mike would hit the roof if he knew that in one day I lost my wallet and left my iPad in the hotel room so I will be going to replace the iPad tomorrow before he realises how stupid I have been.

However, what you're really here for is to see what I picked up at Dubai airport before I flew out to Cairo so here it is.

I've been reading about the new London Rain collection for a while now so was excited to see them at the airport.  I definitely didn't need any more perfume but I guess hauling isn't about needing-it's about wanting!

Rain and Angelica is quite an aquatic, crisp, fresh fragrance which I really like.  The shop assistant was fab and we had a good discussion about fragrance combining and this fragrance goes well with any of the citrus scents from Jo Malone.  I like it mixed with Earl Gray and Cucumber.

I was drawn to Wisteria and Violet because my niece is called Violet!   This one is more flowery but still quite light.  This one is beautiful when layered with Peony and Blush Suede or Nectarine Blossom and Honey.

To be honest I will be asking my mum if she would like one of them when she comes to Dubai next week because they are massive bottles and I'll never get through them.  But they look very pretty on the dressing table!

Next up, and enabled by the beautiful Sarah at And Beauty Or Something, I picked up this Clarins cleanser which she blogged about here.  Sarah is a fairly new blogger whose blog I started reading after she left a comment on one of my posts and I absolutely adore it.  I love her style of writing and the blog layout is clean and fresh.  She's super lovely too.

Clarins just can't do wrong by me at the moment.  I am loving using their eye make up remover, cleanser and facial oil every day at the moment so I am excited to try this reformulated cream cleanser.

I stocked up on some MAC brushes and these are all repurchases.  I picked up another 208 brush which I use to fill my eyebrows with along with MAC Omega eyeshadow which is the perfect shade for me.  The small, stiff head of the 208 means precise application is easy.

I also picked up two more 168 brushes which are perfect for applying blush.  I already have two of these brushes but I seem to have misplaced one of them.  They have a slightly angled head and work really well with very pigmented blushes as they allow for a light hand.  They also wash up really well with baby shampoo.

Finally I picked up two more of the new YSL Gloss Volupte's.  I love the formula of these gloss, the brush fits nicely to the lips and they're not sticky at all.  They last a long time on the lips and aren't drying.

At the moment I am loving that very high shine, wet look with gloss.  That kind of 'I've been sucking a lollipop' glassy look.

Shade 204 Corail Trapeze is perfect for this look.  I saw these glosses on Memoiselle which is one of my all time favourite blogs, written by the always adorable Meryl and Monica.  They are so friendly and have the most beautiful blog and instagram.

As soon as I saw the shade 206 on their blog I ran out and bought it and reviewed here.  It's a beautiful deep rose pink.

Corail Trapeze is going to get a LOT of love from me this summer as it is a beautiful, coral infused gloss-light and glossy.  As you can see the colour is fairly sheer and my natural lip freckles shown through along my lip line but I adore it!!

#3 Rose Fusion has a similar underlying base colour but is shot with a lot of golden glitter.  It looks gorgeous on but the problem with this shade is it is definitely too glittery for daytime and the glitter really sticks to the lips-it's like it's welded on.

I love the formula though so I want to find another one with the similar glass like shine to it as Corail Trapeze.

I picked up one more Rouge Volupte Shine in the shade 4 Rouge in Danger to add to my collection.
This is a true strawberry red colour with a slight blue undertone (instant teeth whitening).

The 'shine' version of the YSL Rouge Volupte range has a glossy, high shine but less opaque finish to it than the standard Rouge Volupte's but as you can see 'Rouge in Danger' is very pigmented from my swatch below.  I really like the colour but the formula has a tendency to slide so a lip liner is essential.  The packaging....possibly the most beautifully packaged lipsticks on the market.

I've been on a little spending spree over the past week so will soon have another haul post-but I am going to wait until it all arrives before sharing my spree!

Sephora newness. Oh, and some shoes.

So begins another week...

First off, thank you all so much for all the sweet anniversary wishes for Brad and I that you guys shared with us via twitter, Instagram, here, all of it. We had the best day yesterday and we really appreciate all the love!

So while last week was laden with makeup tutorials from me, this week is going to be all about hauls and newness. Look for a drugstore haul video and some info on new MAC collections (on the blog) coming up this week. So many new great things!

This video is all about some great new finds I picked up at Sephora over the weekend, as well as some new shoe finds from the past week. I hope you all enjoy it!



products shown...

Any new Sephora beauty finds lately? Anyone else slightly concerned about my leopard shoe obsession?? ;)

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A Snow Day and an Affordable Fashion Haul

Happy "hump day" y'all!

 So today I'm bringing you an extra lil' bonus video!

Before we get started, I've got to send some love to all of my fellow Atlanta folks who had the day from hell yesterday... Yeah, the snow was beautiful and magical around our house.  ...Because we were all home safe and sound.

Brad left work around 11am anticipating the madness that would inevitably ensue on the roads. However, I don't think ANYONE anticipated what was to come. Basically, we always joke that in Georgia, whenever we get a few inches of snow, the whole city and affected areas basically shut down. Mostly because we rarely get any snow and our state just isn't prepared. Also, when we see that snow is coming, it can go SO many different ways... As in, we never know exactly what we're going to get or how bad the roads will be.
The difference is that most states and areas who have regular snow in the winter know exactly what to expect and will treat their roads ahead of time anticipating the imminent inclement weather. Georgia just doesn't have those regular systems in place because it just rarely happens.

So Tuesday around lunchtime, every business started letting their employees go home. Around 1pm, most every school system in the area decided to "close" and let the children go home, which also led to even more traffic because parents were heading to pick them up. Which obviously led to MAJOR traffic issues. The streets were to capacity. Every single highway in the metro area was at a stand still. In the midst of all this, the roads were freezing.  Which meant the DOT couldn't really even GET to many of the roads to treat them because they were covered completely in record amounts of traffic. I'm talking, some of my friends were on the road for 12+ hours to travel only 5 or 6 miles. Most everyone I knew who was on the streets went on foot at some points. Babies were delivered on the side of the road, cars were abandoned everywhere, people were running out of gas...  Thousands of students spent the night on buses in freezing temperatures which absolutely broke my heart.  Hearing stories from my friends who couldn't even get to their children at their schools until midnight or so was terrible. Even people with big trucks that can usually handle the icy roads were out of luck, as most roads were just bogged down completely with un-moving traffic. Some roads looked like a scene straight out of The Walking Dead... haha. Not funny, but seriously... with all the abandoned cars, it was insane. The whole state was declared as being in a state of emergency.  Yeah it got crazy...

I could seriously go on and on about it and share a ton more stories, but you get the idea.  I'm just thankful that we were all at home safe and sound and while this one was enjoying the snow...

 ...we were so worried about the madness that was taking place all over the place nearby.

 When all the snow had fallen, we had right at three inches.

Could you just melt at that face??  Don't worry about him with the sticks. He just likes to play with them outside. We always supervise him with them because we know it's not great for them to eat pieces of wood, but he spits them out if he gets a piece off. He just thought they were extra tasty covered in snow!

K so enough of the snow madness. I'm about ready for it to melt away!

So Brad and I went to Target a few days back for some necessities and I ended up picking up some really awesome things!! I also thought I'd share some recent Macy's finds that I scored at great deals as well as the shoe find of my year...  Yeah, that statement may be a bit premature, but seriously, I don't think I'll find a deal this awesome on such cute shoes any time soon.

Hope you guys enjoy it!

Items shown...

Were any of you affected by the Georgia snow?? 

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Fashion Haul & OOTD

 **COME MEET-UP WITH ME AT IMATS LA!! I'll be at the Sigma Beauty booth from 10:30am-12:30 pm on January 18th (Saturday's show). Be sure to stop by and say hi! I'd love to meet you!!

Gotta be honest... All this cold weather lately totally inspired a fashion haul. So while I definitely picked up some cozy sweaters, I'm pretty proud that I also found a lot of really versatile pieces that would work for any season.

Hope you guys enjoy the video! ....Oh, and scroll on down the post to see an OOTD idea with one of my new items!

Haul items shown in video...

Also, here's all the details of the look worn in the video...  I LOVE this emerald green plaid. So fun!

 Outfit details...

top by Splendid

7 For All Mankind "the skinny"

Franco Sarto boots (no longer available) similar here

Kate Spade watch (similar here and here)

necklace by J. Crew

I hope you all have a wonderful week!

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What I Got For Christmas! ...and a Sephora/Shoes Haul

So keeping with my new little tradition I started last year, I wanted to share with you all what I got for Christmas! You all loved that video so much that I decided to do it again this year... with a little twist.

First of all, we had a wonderful Christmas this year with lots of time spent with family and friends. It's so much fun being able to give gifts and give back this time of the year.  It's also such a great feeling to receive special gifts from loved ones, which is why it's so fun for me to share it with you all.

Now as I explain in the video, I'm pretty much the worst at making Christmas lists and asking for things I want. So that usually means I receive a lot of gift cards, which I love. Mainly because being able to go shopping with the gift cards and cash I've gotten is really fun.  I can have some fun shopping and pick out exactly what I want. Well this year, I decided to include what I purchased in this video as well. So I'm sharing my actual gifts as well as what I purchased after. Sort of like a little Christmas haul.
I got some amazing shoes I had been looking at and wanting for what feels like forever. I'm so happy with them! I also picked up some fun beauty stuff from Sephora.
Check it all out in the video below!!

What I'm wearing in this video...

Here are some of the goodies from the video below! I also included several options of some things that were no longer available for you guys...

Oh and be sure to check out my recent post all about our Christmas Eve dinner this year! I shared some of my favorite recipes as well as some tips for getting a big dinner all set-up. You can check that post out here.

Hope you all had a very Merry Christmas! Happy New Year too! ;)

*Post contains affiliate links. Post contains my genuine recommendations and opinions. Not a sponsored post.

This week begins with a haul... or three.

So begins another week...
However, because this week contains lots of turkey and yumminess, this Monday is a little better than usual, right? ;)

So you may remember my recent post and video all about the Sephora VIB sale. In that one, I mentioned some of my recommendations as well as a little wish list of my own of items I was thinking about getting.  Well my order came (and smashed, as my Instagram followers may remember), and I got some great stuff.
I also made a little trip to Ulta this past week.
Oh, and the drugstore.
Somebody stop me.

So I decided to put together a little video to give you all a peek at all my new goodies! I hope you all enjoy it!

My new goodies...

Worn in this video...

Be sure to subscribe to my YouTube channel and look for 3 more new videos coming up this week! Happy Monday!

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My Hourglass Ambient Lighting Powders... And a Sephora Haul.

Hello and happy Friday, Loves! The weekend is HERE and I'm kicking it off with a really exciting Sephora haul video.... Well, this haul was super exciting for me at least.

So any trip to Sephora is fun and all, but you know how sometimes you get products that are just extra special?? Well this is one of those times.

Be sure to check out the video at the bottom of this post for all the details on all the fun new goodies I picked up!!
But before we get to that, here are the swatches of all my Hourglass Ambient Lighting Powders (new and old) as promised in the video.

Luminous Light, Diffused Light

Ambient Lighting Powder Palette
Dim Light, Incandescent Light, Radiant Light

*This one is exclusive to Sephora (here) and will be limited edition. With the holidays coming up, I see this baby selling out fast!

left-right: Luminous Light, Diffused Light, Dim Light, Incandescent Light, Radiant Light

Here's a handy little list of all products mentioned in the video (with links to Sephora so you can get more info since all aren't discussed in the post):

Hourglass Ambient Lighting Powder Palette
Hourglass Ambient Lighting Powder Luminous Light
Hourglass Ambient Lighting Powder Diffused Light
GlamGlow Super Mud/TingleExfoliate Mask Set
Formula X Polishes
Lancome Waterproof Long-Lasting Undereye Concealer
Hourglass Veil Mineral primer
MUFE Mat Velvet+ Foundation


So are you drooling over that palette or what?? I'm telling you, it's AMAZING. What are your favorite Ambient Lighting Powder shades?? I'm trying to stop myself from buying them all! ;)

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Boots Haul

I think I had a relatively restrained haul from Boots on this trip to London!  Shopping list in hand I headed to one of the larger Boots on Oxford Street.  Boots had a buy two get the third free offer on which came in handy!!

I don't own any Soap and Glory make up but when I saw Antonia from Mac and Cheese and Gemma from Miss Make Up Magpie both raving about the Glow All Out Luminizing Radiance Face Powder on their blogs on the same day it went to the top of the list.  I absolutely love highlighters and both of them say this one is amazing.

I also picked up One Heck Of A Blot and have been using this since my Rimmel Stay Matte powder ran out.  And I really like it.  It's translucent so doesn't add colour, just mattifies the skin.  I go for a heavy coverage/matte finish over a dewy finish and I have been really impressed with this.  I don't think it's very handbag friendly but I use it to set my foundation before I leave home in the morning.  I actually think it's far better than the Rimmel Stay Matte.

I ummed and ahhed over picking up Benefit's new blush offering 'Rockateur'.  I was initially put off by it's seemingly super shimmery rose gold colour but I read several reviews saying it was just an overspray and the powder beneath wasn't uber shimmery.

I own several Benefit blushes and really enjoying using them all so I hope I rate this as highly.  It's very pretty!!

After loving the Maybelline The Falsies mascara which Tanya Burr raves about, I decided to pick up another beauty blogger fave drugstore mascara-L'Oreal False Lash Telescopic, loved by Anna from Vivianna Does Make Up.  Now I understand this is a new launch and the original formula loved by Anna has been discontinued but I am willing it give this one a go!

Finally I picked up something that wasn't on the list-the newly launched Blush Exclusif from Bourjois.  This cream blush adapts to the pH in your skin to create a bespoke pink colour unique to you.  I have been using this quite a bit over the past couple of weeks-it has quite a hard, dry formula but it's easy to blend out (I use the Real Techniques buffing brush after dabbing it on with my fingers) and it settles to a long lasting sugary baby pink on me. 

I have one more mini UK haul to show you-my duty free Heathrow haul-it'll be coming soon!