Donna May Makeup Bag

You can always count on a working makeup artist to create an innovative, useful product that makes life easier!

 Donna May Clitheroe has 20 years of experience working in the makeup industry and has worked on shows such as Strictly come dancing and Loose Women in th UK.

 Donna May has created a line of make tools, which include a makeup bag, gown and mats.

 The makeup bag is literally the most genius bag I have seen for a while, yet such a simple idea.

It’s basically a large flat circle made from Oxford Pu fabric (wipe clean) and has a chord threaded around the edge attached to a toggle.

 You can place all of your makeup onto it as you are using it and then once you are finished simply pull the toggle and it will fold up into a neat bag.

 Great for times when you have spread your makeup on your bed whilst you are getting ready and need to move all you products when you arrive home and want to fall into bed.

 Also great for makeup artists to quickly move products between clients to ensure your work space is clear and also a godsend at the end of a long day shooting when all you want to do is quickly pack up and head home.

 Pull the toggle to securely wrap everything up, pop it in your bag and off you go!

This bag is £20.00.

You can check out all of Donna May’s products and also find out more about her via her website here.

3 ways to wear black

Guerlain Christmas Palette Gold

If you’re seeking a warm toned shimmering eye palette that also has blush and brow product within then be sure to check out the Guerlain Palette Gold.

 Guerlain is literally the queen of golden radiance (check out their L’or Radiance base and Parure Gold Foundation combination for radiant candlelit skin).

 The Christmas palette for 2017 combines a bone shade matte eye shadow for placement under the brow or wherever you need a little natural highlight and 4 shimmering powder shadows in gold, silver, copper and bronze.

 The eye shadows have excellent pigment quality and blend well with little glitter spread. They look beautiful worn as a block on their own but work well as a touch of highlight on top of a matte to liven it up for Christmas.

 These tones look sensational on a deeper skin tone and will make the eye lid shimmer like molten metal. The powders can be used wet or dry depending on the intensity you require.

There is also a matte brown for the brows although this is on the warmer side of brown so would only really work on dark brunettes or red heads.

  The two blushers are a baby pink and a candy pink. The lighter pink works nicely as a very natural blush on lighter skins or as a highlighter on a deeper skin tone. The brighter pink is infused with a golden glitter so save that one for the evening and use in minimal quantities!

Palette contains large mirror in the lid and a small duel ended eye and brow brush.

This palette is great for changing up a day to evening look or to use as a palette, which adds in a festive pop to any make up look.

Available now here for £59.00

Huda beauty Review

5 Holiday palettes, 5 Party looks

If you know you want to rock a red lip this festive season but not sure what eye shadow to wear then check out Sam's tutroial....

Smashbox Masterclass Palette

We love a bargain and if you’re quick then you will be able to get hold of this Smashbox master class palette from Smashbox for half price!

What’s in it?

 10 powder eye shadows in a mix of matte, shimmer and metallic finish. Pigment is intense, colour options are interesting and the selection of warm and cool tones mean you can create some sultry smoky eyes or a vibrant contrasting colour pop.

 There are 6 transformer colours in an array of pastels to lift the natural tones of the eyelid and brighten of to add in an extreme highlight.

 

4 satin finish blush shades a matte bronze and a natural satin cream toned highlighter.

The 3 lipstick shades are bold deep shades but can be mixed up with the 3 cream transformer shades to alter the tone.

 

 This palette folds up into a chunky book and can be easily transported.

 It’s a great gift for budding or seasoned makeup artists or just for those who like to experiment and prefer something a little more customed to themselves rather than following the crowd.

 This palette was £70.00 but is currently half price for £35.00 however; it’s only available for a few more days and is limited edition so you need to work fast if you think it will make the perfect gift.

Exclusive to Boots and available here.

Neom Scents of Christmas

Oh Neom, you’ve done it again. Beautifully presented and a-ma-zing scent all within a glass, patterned in a nostalgic print. Their candles really are the scent of our Christmas every year.

There are lots of festive candle options from Neom this year and we have hold of the scents of Christmas twin set.

 As soon as you open the box, you are greeted with an overwhelming (not overpowering, scent of Mandarin, cinnamon and pine.

 The Christmas Wish candle is embellished in rose gold and scented with 11 essential oils, Tonka Bean, Mandarin. It has an almost leathery scent that warms but uplifts. This is either your bath time candle or your living room candle on a cold December night. It’s like a warm jumper for the soul.

 The Perfect Peace candle is embellished in silver and scented with 22 essential oils, myrrh, pine and lime peel. It’s much more citrus based and fresher.

 Because it smells lighter I would say this would be nicely positioned in an entrance hallway or kitchen whilst you cook up a batch of sausage rolls!!

This duo is £49.00 and available here.

Bobbi Brown Sparkle all night palette

Image from:www.selfridges.com

Exclusively to Selfridges is the Sparkle all night palette from Bobbi Brown.

 It’s a book style palette housing 12 powder eye shadows in a mix of matte and shimmering shades and four cheek colours.

Image from:www.selfridges.com

 The colours are pretty tame and are a muted blend of beige, greys and plums. Pigment payoff is okay, it takes a little work to build them but once applied, they do blend out nicely with zero fall down.

 The very darkest shades required a lot of applying and re blending to get an even finish, initially they apply a little patchy.

 The centre leaf is a huge mirror and the back leaf is two blusher shades and a highlighter and bronzer.

Really great pigment from these but I think it would have been nice to include a blusher a pink and an alternative shade, rather than two pinks.

 Travel sized compact that would fit into an overnight travel bag or handbag with ease.

This palette is £150.00 and available exclusively at Selfridges here.

Emma Hardie Plump & Glow Facial Mist

Facial mists are often overlooked and massively under rated. They are dressing table staple product for us and always something we carry in our kit for shoots.

 They are a really versatile product, which not only hydrates and freshens the skin, but also gets you out of some make up faux pas.

Often facial mists can be a little cumbersome to carry around however, the latest plump and glow hydrating facial mist from Emma Hardie has tackled this issue with its innovative packaging.

Let’s talk about the packaging first. Rather than the bottle style spritz, it’s a squeezy flat tube that still spritzes but with a wide reach mist, allowing a fine even coating that covers the whole face and décolletage. It fits neatly into your handbag, will stand on a dressing table or will lay flat in your kit without taking up too much space.

The product…

The mist is very fine meaning you won’t feel drenched after application, nor will your skin feel parched 10 minutes later once the moisture has evaporated.

  The scent is very aromatherapy-like with the main fragrance coming from the Wild WaterMint. It’s minty, without smelling like a pedicure treatment!

It contains lots of active ingredients, including Hyaluronic acid as a moisture magnet, assisting in skin plumping. Lichen moss and fern, which assist in the retention of moisture and Glycofilm to act as a protective barrier.

 It also contains radiance mica in a soft golden pigment, which gives a luminous-without-glitter finish. It makes the skin look dewy without obvious product and the added Aloe Vera calms and soothes any irritation.It would benefit all skin types and has an undetectable texture on the skin.

This product is perfect to use as the final stage of moisturisation before you apply your base or as a buffing aid to spritz on and help blend out your base.

 Really nice to spray over an already made up face to loosen the products and allow you to rebuff or build a look ready for a more evening look.

An essential product this time of the year when you may be popping out after work for festive drinks or if your skin is looking particularly beaten down by the cold winter weather.

Emma Hardie Plump and Glow is available now here for £36.00.

Beauty Pie Wondercolour Cream Eyeshadow Stick

Beauty Pie is a relatively new brand and they are changing up how people purchase their cosmetics. If you are a makeup fanatic then you may be interested in signing up to their membership, which only charges factory prices.

 How does it work?

Beauty Pie basically cuts out the middle man and sells you high end products direct from the factory. By doing this they can sell you these products at a much lower price point.

 To be eligible for this discount you do have to sign up to a minimum 3 months membership. The membership costs are £10 per month for the three month option or if you want a long term subscription you can sign up for a year at a cost of £120. Once signed up you will then receive all of the products on the site with a huge discount.

You can spend up to £100 worth of products a month and if you don’t use your allowance it then rolls over to the next month.

The membership only really works well for you if you are someone who frequently buys makeup. If you just occasionally treat yourself to the odd pieces of makeup a month then you may prefer just to shop the items with no membership. The only downside is that you will pay the full price.

If you’re confused about the membership you can find out more info on their site here.

We have been testing out the Wondercolour Cream Eye shadow Stick.

Twist up, richly pigmented cream eye shadow sticks that glide on with little effort and blend well. Once dry they last well on the lid with zero creasing or smudge.

 The shades are available in a variety of matte or shimmer finishes.

 Available in 10 shades.

If you have a beauty Pie membership then these eye shadows are £2.55 or non-members can purchase for £20.00

Check out all Beauty pie has to offer here.

Charlotte Tilbury faves

If you’re not into overly festive makeup and are looking for some great basics from Charlotte Tilbury that will help you to achieve a quick smoky eye and a nude lip then check out these essentials.

The Colour Chameleon sticks are perfect to swipe over the lid and blend with your finger. They add a buildable wash of pigmented colour that is moveable but sets for extreme longevity.

We love Golden Quartz and Bronzed Garnet for a warming smoky eye with a hint of shimmer. Totally wearable on their own but act as an amazing base to a powder if you need an eye look that won’t budge.

Colour Chameleon is available in 9 shades to flatter all skin and eye tones.

Charlotte Tilbury also does a great range of nude lipsticks to compliment a darker eye. Here are some we have been loving recently..

 If you missed the time when Charlotte worked her magic on Nic then you can catch that below. What are your Charlotte Tilbury must have's?

Boots Christmas shopping #Ad

Christmas is only round the corner and it can be challenging knowing what to purchase for each other.

 Quite often we will just do a secret Santa but this year we decided we should actually gift something to each other that we know each other will love and headed to Boots to check out this years festive gifts.
 Boots believes that giving a gift that shows someone you truly know them further strengthens the bond between two people. 
 If you have seen this years Boots Christmas advert, you will two sisters feature so we wanted to share with you our own festive shop and the memories that are evoked by each gift.

Sam’s picks for Nic

Obviously the Real techniques Brush set is always a great gift to give and as we travel so much it’ll be handy for Nic to have a selection all ready and clean for our travels next year.

Although Nic will totally hate me buying biscuits for her and will think I’m trying to fatten her up, I know she will devour them. She also loves a tin so she can reuse the old tin for storage afterwards.

Candles are always a great choice and they remind me of Nic when we were young. She would always get into trouble with our Mum for burning holes in the bedroom carpet!

As we have recently signed up to complete a charity marathon, I know Nic will appreciate some running headphones to help her through the miles.

Electric toothbrushes remind me of when we were young and would put soap on each other’s toothbrush as a trick. Nic will instantly associate this gift with that time also.

I chose the Jamie Oliver cookie cutters, as Nic is a much better baker than I am and my children always love to bake when they are with their aunty Nic.

The ultimate gift for Nic is the Dyson hair dryer. She has so much hair so will appreciate the speed and heat settings to get her mane dry as quickly as possible.

Nic’s picks for Sam

I remember Sam always wore a fragrance called Tuscany but as this is long discontinued I found my old favourite Cerruti 1881. It reminds me of naughty times in my teenage year

Sam likes to curl her hair and when we were young I got a large heated curling brush caught in her hair. Hopefully, she won’t be too traumatised to use a new one!

Electric toothbrushes just remind me of playing tricks on Sam by putting horrid tasting products on her toothbrush when we were young so I think a new electric toothbrush would make up for those times.

Sam suffers from S.A.D so I think a Lumie Body clock will get her up on the right side of the bed in the morning and also help me cope with her through the day!

A photograph album, filled with precious pictures is always a great sentimental gift and as Sam rarely prints off her photographs, I think she will really enjoy flicking through the al

Christmas is all about giving a gift that you absolutely know the person will not only love but immediately know why you have chosen it. It's the thought that makes the smile, not just the gift.

Boots is jam-packed full of gifts this Christmas and there is so much to chose from that could be the one gift that makes this years Christmas extra special.

Watch us on our shopping spree video for each other below..

Kiko Water Eye Shadow

Kiko’s water eye shadow’s already have a line up of 32 shades and this November they have added 4 new molten metal shades.

  Perfect for the festive season, these offer a metallic bold pay off that applies instantly with little effort and blend out without losing any density.

  

If you needed anymore colour pay off then you can use these shades wet but to be honest the intensity is perfectly bold when used dry. They almost feel like a cream, the lay down of product is so smooth and even.

I love the foil like shades and although they look stunning worn alone with a black flick, they look amazing pressed into the centre of the eyelid of a smoky eye.

 These shade extensions are available now for £8.90 each here.

Givenchy Day to Night Tutorial #Ad

Bourjois Metallic Lip Cream

There seems to be a trend emerging for Unicorn makeup this festive season. Vibrant pastels and contrasting colours all worn together with a dusting of silver hearts and turquoise glitter!

 It’s not really our bag to be honest, but if you feel that you want to incorporate a little of this trend into your day or evening look then a metallic lip gloss is a good place to start.

 From November 22^nd, Bourjois are launching their metallic lip cream in 8 bold shades.

 These glosses apply in a richly pigmented sweep via a large doe foot applicator. The texture is very workable and the shape of the wand makes it easy to move the product into all the hard to reach areas of the lips.

 It’s a very creamy, slightly sticky finish, so not one to wear if you plan on having a kiss under the mistletoe, but the thick cream texture means it doesn’t travel or cling to your teeth.

The pigment it strong and has multiple tones running through it, giving it the metallic foil finish.

 These glosses are available from 22^nd November and are exclusive to Superdrug.

Diego Dalla Palma Giesha Lift Foundation

The latest foundation from Diego dalla palma is the geisha Lift foundation.

 It’s a creamy, liquid foundation that gives a medium to full coverage with a natural skin finish. Once it dries it feels matte to the touch, but does have a slight radiance to add a bit of life.

A little goes a long way so apply a small amount and blend before building to your desired coverage. It knocked out the redness in my face instantly and gave my skin a much smoother, flawless appearance. It’s a winner if you suffer with uneven skin tone, redness flare ups from the odd glass of wine or have a sensitive skin.

There is a slight chalky feel to this foundation and it would be certainly too drying for an already dry skin type or for those with a textured skin (dry patches, fine or deeper lines.)

 If you are more of a combination or oily skin type then it will feel much more comfortable on the skin. It didn’t sit in my pores and it lasted well throughout the day.

What’s in it?

White Peony Extract-

 This ingredient is anti-inflammatory and antioxidant and helps to reduce the redness of the skin through its calming effect.

In-Tense Complex-

 Sounds technical hey! This is an extraction from the Spilanthes Acmella flower. This flower is known as ‘The toothache flower’ because of its pain relieving properties.

 This extract works on the collagen within skin to move and contract the fibres, helping to give a more even and smoothed appearance.

 Does it work? As with all of these claims, it’s only going to be a minimal improvement with short-term benefits, so don’t expect the face of a 21 year-old (unless you are of course 21!).

It’s a really nice day to evening foundation that covers well and would be a great choice for an oily skin, which also suffers with redness, or skin flare-ups.

Only available in 8 shades (we have 7 to show you),in a mix of pink based and yellow based tones. Good range of lighter to medium tones but not much unfortunately in the way of deeper tones if you have anything more than an olive skin tone.

Geisha Lift Foundation is available now from www.diegodallapalma.com for £34.50.