Hourglass Ambient Lighting Edit Palette

When we were in Orlando in November we were lucky to be able to get our hands on the new (and possibly limited edition for the holidays?) Hourglass Ambient Lighting Edit Palette. To be honest, this palette has not had the best reviews. The main cause of contention has been that the amount of product in the palette is not the best value for money but lets be honest, how often do you use the entire contents of a palette anyway? Therefore the gripes did not put us off and we were excited to pick it up on one of our visits

to Sephora. 

 

It comes in beautiful gold shiny packaging and has a great size mirror that is ideal to use on the go. The palette holds three of their famous Ambient Lighting Powders, two Ambient Lighting Blushes and one Ambient Lighting Bronzer. Hourglass have included the powder shades; Dim Light, Iridescent Light and Diffused Light and the blush shades; Mood Exposure (a pinkish plum) and Luminous Flush (a coral pink). The palette is compelted with the bronzer in Luminous Bronze Light (a medium bronze powder with luminous light) 

L-R top row; Dim Light, Iridescent Light, Diffused Light
L-R bottom row; Mood Exposure, Luminous Flush, Luminous Bronze Light

After using this palette for a month now one negative is that the pans are quite small in size so it can be a little tricky for your brush to pick up just one colour. However with the Ambient Lighting Powers they also work really beautifully if swirled together so thats not so much of a problem with the powders. The blush and bronzer can be more difficult but using a slanted blush/bronzer brush means that you can target the shade you want and pick up the right amount! 

The palette has been used almost every day since we bought it making it a staple in our make up collection and one of our favourite recent purchases. Despite our initial reservations we are really pleased that we picked this up and if you are looking to treat yourself this Christmas then we would definitely recommend it and it's not too late to pick it up as a last minute Christmas present for a beauty loving friend! They will love you for it!

 

The Hourglass Ambient Lighting Edit Palette is sold in Space NK for £65 and in Sephora (currently sold out) for $80  

Charlotte Tilbury - The Sophisticate Look

The Beautiful Gift Presentation Box



Mimi will be getting married just after Christmas and we have literally scoured the make up counters together for days searching for the perfect wedding make up. This week she finally made a decision.



You'd think it would be easy, however, there is so much to choose from that things get a little overwhelming! I offered to purchase some special products for her wedding day and after presenting her with The Gift of Red Carpet Skin set earlier this month (see HERE for our review) she fell in love with the Charlotte Tilbury products. We made a trip to our local stockist, Fenwicks in Newcastle, and started to swatch!

 

We were assisted by the loveliest and most helpful sales assistant who was completely knowlegeable about the product range and was able to offer advice and clarity when things got too much! Mimi was drawn to the beautiful sets that used together create a 'look'. After some consideration she decided to go for The Sophisticate Look which is a more natural, daytime look which can be built up, if required, for an evening look.

 

The entire set is beautiful and includes the following:

 

• LUXURY PALETTE - The Sophisticate (Eyeshadow)

• THE CLASSIC - Audrey (Eye Liner)

• FULL FAT LASHES – Glossy Black (Mascara)

• CHEEK TO CHIC – Sex On Fire (Blusher)

• LIP CHEAT – Pillowtalk (Lip Liner)

• K.I.S.S.I.N.G – Hepburn Honey (Lipstick)

• LIP LUSTRE – High Society (Lip Gloss)

• MAKE-UP BAG
 

The Makeup Bag and Look Card

Lets start with the Sophisticate Eyeshadow Quad; it is the only completely matt shadow palette that Charlotte offers and has shades labled prime, enhance, smoke, and pop. The idea, of course, is that the lightest shade is used to prime, the next shade to enhance and so on! A look card is included in the box with a tutorial for the Sophisticate look so that you can create it youself following the guide. Each shade is incredibly pigmented and soft and very easy to blend. I can definitely see more of these quads in our future!

 

The Products in all of their glory!

The Eyeliner in Audrey is a deep brown and therefore a bit more natural for daytime/bridal makeup and the mascara gives good separation and volume.

 

There is a lip trio in the set of the famous Pillowtalk Lip Liner, Kissing Lipstick in Hepburn Honey and High Society Lip Gloss. All are a pink toned nude and give a beautiful natural and sophisticated (!) look when used together. Long lasting and glowy this lip trio should require minimal top ups for a wedding day!

 



Finally the Sex on Fire Blush has the trademark Charlotte light and dark sections so that you can swirl and 'pop' the blush onto the apples of your cheeks.

 

The set is beautifully completed with the inclusion of a makeup bag stating 'Give a woman the right makeup & she can conquer the world'...How true!

 

Although the final decision as to the wedding day lipstick will not be made until nearer the time (a couple of others are in contention!) the remainder of this make up collection and the Gift of Red Carpet Skin set will definitely be used on Mimi's wedding day.

 

She is excited to wear it all and we will be sure to post a picture to show you the finished look!

 

Elle x

 

Have you tried any of these products of purchased any of the 'looks' from Charlotte Tilbury? We'd love to hear your views! 



BeccaXJaclynHill Champagne Glow Palette

As someone who has watched Jaclyn Hill's Youtube tutorials for years I was so excited when she collaborated with Becca to produce a highlighter! Said highlight did not disappoint! Champagne Pop is a STUNNING soft, white gold with pinky peach undertones which is not for the highlight virgin! Although it is a very intense creamy highlight it has actually become a staple in my everyday make up routine (I haven't touched MAC Soft and Gentle since I got it!!!)

Fast forward a few weeks and a thing of beauty popped up on my Instagram feed. A BeccaXJaclynHill Champagne Glow Palette! I had died and gone to highlight heaven! I knew from how much I adored the original Champagne Pop I had to have this palette! It not only includes Champagne Pop is also includes Pearl: a milky white silver and Blushed Copper: a warm copper almost brown highlight. Jaclyn said this colour was designed as a blush "topper" however some fair skinned girls like myself could use this as a blush on its own! 

If you can still get your hands on this I highly recommend it, if not I'd recommend that you pick up Champagne Pop as it is most certainty the star of this palette without a doubt! 

For all of our UK based readers Becca just announced that Champagne Pop is being stocked in Space NK!! Snap it up now ladies or get it on your Christmas list!

Have you tried Champagne Pop yet? What are your thoughts?

Mimi x

  

Charlotte Tilbury Christmas Sets - Haul and Review

We were recently browsing the Charlotte Tilbury website at their beautiful new Christmas releases when we were gripped with a sudden urge to make an order. So order we did! This is what we were tempted by!

 

 

The Gift of Red Carpet Skin Travel Kit

We have been interested in trying some of Charlottes highly recommended skincare products for some time now but we have never quite gotten round to taking the plunge. As we have only a few weeks before Mimi's wedding we thought we that now would be a great time to sample some of her products in preparation for the big day. Charlotte has a bridal makeup tutorial on her YouTube channel using some of her famous skincare therefore when we saw this kit that includes 15ml travel sizes of six of her most popular skincare items for £59 we could not resist! The kit contains the following:

 

 

GODDESS SKIN CLAY MASK - a plumping and smoothing clay mask treatment

MULTI MIRACLE GLOW - a deep cleansing cream to oil balm

MAGIC CREAM - award winning cream that seals in moisture and plumps skin

WONDERGLOW - instant soft-focus beauty flash primer for skin luminosity

SUPERMODEL BODY - skin shimmer, highlighter for the body

TAKE IT ALL OFF - oil rich cleansing eye makeup remover

We could not wait to try these generous travel sizes and they have impressed so much we are seriously considering purchasing the full size of at least two of these products. Our favourites so far are the Goddess Skin Clay Mask and the Wonderglow. They are simply AMAZING! Lets face it, Charlotte Tilbury is so passionate and such an great ambassador for her products that she could quite literally sell sand to the Arabs! However, hype aside, after trying them out these products sell themselves on their quality alone. No hype required!
 

Mini Lipstick Charms

We were unable to resist the tiny lipstick charms! Beautifully boxed in Charlottes trademark packaging they are the cutest little lipsticks from the K.I.S.S.I.N.G range (Charlottes signature range of lipsticks made with modern and classic icons in mind) and would make an idea stocking filler for a beauty obsessed lady. They would also be great to split and give one each as part of a gift for three friends. If you want to keep them all to yourself they are just the size to pop into your handbag for a night out over the party season. The lipsticks included are:
 

PENELOPE PINK - a nude/pink/beige
BITCH PERFECT- a peachy/beige
SO MARILYN - a deep red

We can't lie, we have already worn these lipsticks and have been very impressed with the pigmentation and staying power. We will most definitely be taking them along with us to the office Christmas Party.

Now that we have tried and tested more of the Charlotte Tilbury range it has whetted our appetite to try more! Lets hope Santa brings some in our stockings this year!

What are your favourite Charlotte Tilbury products? Do you have any recommendations for us? We would love to hear from you in the comments below!

Forever Living - Flawless by Sonya - Review

When I was asked by my good friend Victoria if I would like to try some of the Forever Living Products of course I jumped at the chance! No beauty addict would turn down the opportunity to test out some new products!  I was excited to receive the goodies and couldn't wait to try them all out. Forever Living specialise in natural products and their USP is their use of Aloe Vera in all of their makeup and skin care products as well as their line of health based products.
 

The Forever Living Makeup Products are branded Flawless by Sonia and are presented boxed (easy for Christmas wrapping!) The products I was tasked with testing and reviewing were the Aloe BB Crème, EyeLuminate Mascara and Eye Pencil set in Blue and the Luscious Lip Colour in Cappuccino.  
 

L-R: Aloe BB Crème, Flawless by Sonya EyeLuminate, Luscious Lip Colour

Aloe BB Crème

The BB Crème comes in a 1.5oz tube and has an SPF of 20. I like my BB creams to have an SPF as I tend to use them in the spring/summer months when I want a lighter coverage and it is great to not have to add extra sunscreen to your face. I thought that the coverage would be very light, however I was pleased to see that the coverage was very buildable. I applied it with my holy grail Beauty Blender and it blended into the skin quickly and left a very flawless looking finish. I didn't set it with a powder and blush and contour applied effortlessly over it. It has a pleasant and natural smell, not at all overpowering. I could definitely see this being a staple product when I am on holiday as it feels light and natural and the SPF 20 is an excellent benefit.
 

EyeLuminate Mascara and Eye Pencil

The mascara and eyeliner set I tried came in blue which is not a colour I would usually go for. I couldn't wait to try it as it was so different for me so I applied it immediately over the top of my usual black mascara thinking that it would not show up. How wrong I was! It was perfect over the black mascara as it gave enough colour without being over the top.  Used on its own I have no doubt that this would be great for nights out (especially in the party season) as it is vibrant and eye-catching. On first use I was immediately struck by how soft and creamy the eyeliner was. It glided across the lash line with no dragging and was incredible pigmented. I am going to order this set in both purple and green as well as I think both would suit my eye colour perfectly.

L-R: Eye Pencil, Mascara, BB Crème, Lip Gloss

Luscious Lip Colour in Cappuccino

The lip gloss comes in the cutest packaging with a mirror and light included and I get such a lot of comments when I take it out to reapply! It smells like vanilla which is always a good thing and it is shimmery and eye catching. I like to apply it over a matt or cream nude lipstick as it gives it another dimension.

I was pleasantly surprised by the products and delighted that I had the opportunity to try something that I would never have otherwise discovered. If you are interested in finding out more about the Forever Living Products and their benefits you can visit Vic's Facebook page here or her Online Store here

Elle x

Our Perfume Collection

We certainly do not consider ourselves to be big collectors of perfume and compared to most our collection is probably quite modest. However as its getting close to Christmas and after purchasing a couple of new fragrances ourselves this year we wanted to write a post about the scents currently in our joint perfume collection and hope you enjoy it!

 

Yves Saint Laurent Cinema

YSL Cinema is considered to be Elle's 'signature scent' with clementine, almond blossom and cyclamen we would describe it as a citrus vanilla-almond perfume. It lasts really well on the skin without being overpowering and it certainly attracts plenty of compliments when it is worn.

Chanel Coco Mademoiselle

Described as oriental-fresh with a floral jasmine-rose accord Coco Mademoiselle is a grapefruity floral scent with jasmine and musk base notes. It is sophisticated, long lasting and beautiful fragrance for special evenings out. It's quite pricey but worth a splurge if you are keeping it for special occasions.  

Jo Malone White Jasmine and Mint

This is our only Jo Malone fragrance and it has a bouquet of jasmine, lily, orange flower and rose with a very subtle hint of wild mint making it fresh, crisp and clean. It is a perfect summer fragrance.





L-R: YSL Cinema, Taylor Swift Wonderstruck, Jo Malone White Jasmine & Mint, Chanel Coco Mademoiselle

Fresh Sugar Lemon

We picked this scent up on a recent trip to the USA and love it! Again, this is a great summer fragrance as it is has a wonderful citrus scent with the mixture of fresh squeezed lemons and the sweetness of sugar.

 

Elizabeth and James Nirvana Black

We bought this Elizabeth and James rollerball in Sephora this past summer and it came in a set with its sister fragrance the Nirvana White. Nirvana Black is a woody fragrance and is somewhat masculine (it was created to be worn by both genders) The fragrance is built around violet, sandalwood and vanilla and it is beautiful when layered with the Nirvana White. 

 

 

Elizabeth and James Nirvana White

The Nirvana White is a more delicate scent with peony, muguet and musk notes making for a lighter more feminine scent than the Nirvana Black. We would definitely recommend layering this with the Black for a totally different experience. The Elizabeth and James brand is part of Mary-Kate and Ashley Ohlsens empire of products!  

Taylor Swift Wonderstruck 

This floral scent with fruity notes makes for a young and fresh perfume. Perfect for teens and twenty's!. Including hibiscus, honeysuckle, apple blossom and raspberry this is a distinctive but light enough scent that it can be worn both day and night. One of four available Taylor Swift perfumes, Taylor can do no wrong in our opinion!

Nest Fragrances Indigo

We had never heard of Nest Fragrances although we had come across their candles in the past. This mini rollerball came as a gift from Sephora as a 100 point perk and it is such a beautiful and unusual scent. The notes are Moroccan tea, Kashmir wood, cardamom and wild fig. 





What are your favourite fragrances? We would love to hear your recommendations!

Sephora Favorites - Superstars

While we were in Orlando recently we couldn't resist a couple of trips to Sephora. We always like to visit at this time of year as the seasonal gift sets are being released. After seeing the Superstars set unboxed on Glam Life Guru's YouTube channel we were dying to get our hands on this multi branded set with thirteen beauty items inside, seven of which are full size.

 

The set contains: 

Beautyblender Original 
Benefit They're Real Mascara
Clinique Chubby Stick Sculpting Highlight
Lancôme Drama Liqui-Pencil Extreme Longwear Eyeliner in Noir Intense 
Laura Mercier Matte Radiance Highlight 

Stila Stay All Day Waterproof Liquid Eye Liner in Intense Black
Tarte the Sculptor Contouring Face Slenderizer in Park Ave Princess
Tarte The Slenderizer Bamboo Contouring Brush
Touch in Sol Stretchex Stretch Lash Effect Mascara
Urban Decay Eye Shadow in Lounge
Make Up For Ever Step 1 Skin Equalizer Hydrating Primer / Base Step 1 Skin Equalizer
NARS Dual Intensity Eyeshadow in Himalia
Smashbox Photo Finish Primer Water

This set offers excellent value for money and has some beautiful products inside. The stand outs for us are the NARS Dual Intensity Eye Shadow in Himalia which is an beautiful shadow in a gorgeous almost rose gold shade. On the NARS website it is described as a shimmering topaz and it can be used dry or wet for a more intense look. Perfect for the holiday season! We also really love the Urban Decay Eye Shadow in Lounge.This is one of those almost impossible to describe shadows that looks different in every light! It looks green until you start to apply and it takes on a dual chrome green, brownish red tone. Told you it was impossible to describe!! Another great holiday season shadow!
 

 

With some great staples like the Benefit They're Real Mascara and the holy grail Beauty Blender you really can't go wrong with this set. Whether you are treating yourself or buying it as a gift for a friend or relative we am sure any make up loving lady would adore this!
 

 
The Sephora Favorites - Superstars is now available in Sephora stores and online for $75. The total value of the contents is actually $207 so it is an absolute steal!

 

Have you managed to get your hands on the Sephora Superstars set? What are your thoughts?