Happy New Year!

Hey Dolls,

It is hard to believe the year of 2012 is almost over! Every year seems to go faster and faster.. i remember when i was 18, i will be 24 this coming year, eek!

I don't know about you, but i am really looking forward to 2013 and there are lots of things i want to achieve!

So within this post i would like to make some new years resolutions, i thought it would be a fun idea and i can remind myself in a years time what i hoped for!

1. Finish my masters
2. Secure a job related to my degree 
3. Gain a lot more forensic related experience
4. Get my blog to 1000 followers by the end of 2013 (I dream big)
5. Travel somewhere far away in the summer between March and September (when i should be doing my dissertation :P)
6. Try to save money
7. Be happier and believe more in people and the world
8. Grow my hair long for real and stop relying on hair extensions (LOL)


There we go! That's my new year resolutions!

Now in order to finish off 2012 in style, i would like to deliver my own Pooches and Cream award to the products i have most rated during 2012. Obviously, these awards are based on my use of the products alone and therefore are only a reflection of my personal opinion. That's the joy of being able to give your own awards, not everyone has to agree with it :)!

Most Controversial Beauty Product

YSL Touche Eclat

This award goes to Touche Eclat by Yves Saint Laurent. I see this product as the Marmite product, as in you either love it or you hate it. I love this product and i love it even more because it has created such a buzz ever since it arrived on the market, which is why this product wins the Pooches and Cream most controversial beauty product award! XOXO

Best Lip Gloss 

Dior Addict

For me, this award could only go to one lip gloss; Dior Addict. Ever since i discovered Dior Addict lipgloss my life has been complete. God that sounds so vacuous?? But seriously, if you are yet to try one of these lipglosses, please do so at least once! I love the way they look and feel on the lips and the colour variations are amazing!

Best Mascara

Shocking by YSL

For me, this award goes the Shocking mascara by YSL. Ever since i got my mitts on this i've not regretted it, truly amazing formula that does incredible things to your lashes!!

Best Foundation

Bare Minerals Original Foundation SPF 15

So this choice is a little controversial because i haven't reviewed Bare Minerals as yet. This was difficult for me because i was a die hard fan of Bare Minerals for such a long time and i really rate their products. However because i wanted a change i tried some others and i like to mix and match anyway and try new foundations all the time. 
However, after my digressions i am now able to say that i award Bare Minerals the award for the best foundation. It gives me fantastic coverage and i know wastage is an issue for some, but i love the loose form and it is only the fact Bare Minerals are moving closer to the Ready formula and away from the loose that i haven't given it the coverage in my blog that it deserves.

Favourite Makeup Brand of the Year

NARS

Without a doubt, my makeup brand discovery of the year was Nars. Since i discovered them i have tried a range of their products and i have never been disappointed. They are my personal favourite makeup brand of the year and i urge you to try them if you haven't already! 

I hope you liked my short and sweet Pooches and Cream awards, i obviously don't have the budget to try every makeup product and brand on the market, hence why this is my limited view. I hope you like! 


Happy New Year to you all, old followers and new, thankyou so much for following me and for making the end of 2012 so amazing for me! 

XOXO

Holy Shitballs

The Versatile Blogger Award

I have been nominated by the fabulous MissBeautyBits for the versatile blogger award! I literally am so shocked and surprised and totally happy as never in my life have i ever ever been nominated for anything. I am truly chuffed!

So what happens now:

- Thank the blogger who has nominated you

- Share 7 random facts about yourself

- Nominate 7 fellow bloggers

- Let the nominated bloggers know they have been awarded

- Add the versatile blogger badge to your blog

So thank you so much MissBeautyBits! 

And as for the random facts..

1. I almost got married in Vegas

2. I have a tattoo on my foot that says 'Dream'

3. I always have to have my toast cut diagonally 

4. I study forensic psychology

5. I love horror movies

6. I hate leaving doors open

7. My favourite movie is When Harry Met Sally

ooof christ on a bike that was hard... 

Now to nominate the 7 other people for the versatile blogger award! Yay!

1. Sophie Pocock  Already nominated

2. Paula over at Pretty Pollys Blog

3. Rachel at Sweetpea London

4. Gem at Miss Makeup Magpie

5. Who Killed Lola over at Beauty Fiend

6. Jayne over at Miss Jayne Becca

7. Claire Louise 

8. Abi Tottenham-Smith at Handbags and Gladrags

I hope this brings you as much happiness as it brought me!

Enjoy and thanks once again to the wonderful MissBeautyBits 

XOXO

I Need the Birds and the Summer Breeze.

Dior Hydra Life Pro-Youth Comfort Creme

Hey Dolls!

This AM i am going to review another christmas present (wish these could last forever!) called Hydra Life Pro-Youth Comfort Creme by Dior.

This was on my wishlist for a while after having a makeup consult done this was applied prior to the foundation application and it made my skin sooo soft. I am also a massive lover of moisturisers and was seriously disappointed when my Vanishing Cream Moisturiser from Lush ran out. :( I've been waiting until Uni can start again until i can get another from Birmingham, but then i got this baby!

Now firstly, i didn't realise that Dior have their own gardens all over the world within which the plants are kept that go into their beauty products.. wow! God knows where i thought they came from but that is pretty awesome.

This is a 50ml cream and mine is the one for normal-dry skin as you can get certain types in order to cater for your skin type. I have been using this cream since Christmas Day and i am loving it! As it instantly restores and nourishes dehydrated skin this is perfect for me and my skin is feeling so soft! Literally as soon as you first put this on your face it really is unlike anything you've ever felt before.. seriously. The only way i can describe it is you know soft butter when you cut into it, this is like that on your face (god i'm weird) but it is the only way i can try to tell you how lovely this is. But you should be sparing with it otherwise you might find it a TAD greasy, despite it's fantastic absorbance it is super rich.

This product retails at £41.00 which is obviously super expensive and i'm not sure i could replace it when it runs out. BUT IM GONNA HAVE TO! 

What do you think of Dior products?

Thankyou for reading, 

XOXO

Don't Mess With My Do

Hi gorgeous people!

Hope you're all well, now i wouldn't exactly call this a HAUL but maybe i would call this a MINI HAUL. I've had a few hair issues of late and the problems started when i had my weave taken out *sob*. 
I loved having long hair, but it was so itchy and i literally was so frightened my hair was going to fall out, that i took it out after only a month. I've had one before but it depends whether you consider the pleasure being worth the pain. 

So, i've had quite a few hair issues as my hair is not in great condition atm and is lacking shine, lustre, ease of brushing and generally all things it takes to have amazing hair.

Yesterday i decided to go to Boots to cheer myself up and this is what i got.

I haven't tried the Sheer Blonde hair masks yet, but i tried the Coconut Milk Shampoo and Conditioner this morning. Overall, my general opinion is YAY! These products made my hair feel so soft, shiny and smooth afterwards and they smell absolutely gorgeous. I could tell even when my hair was wet that my hair was more shiny, if you know what i mean, and i was so chuffed with the result!

The shampoo and conditioner were £1.99 each for a small bottle and the John Frieda Sheer Blonde hair masks were 3 for 2 at Boots £1.59. Not completely convinced about John Frieda i do find them v. expensive for the larger sized products.

What do you think?

XOXO

Clarins Instant Smooth Self Tanning Review

Morning lovelies!

Firstly i hope you're well! I've eaten far too much this christmas and i am currently struggling with that! 

This morning i am going to review the instant smooth self tanning product from Clarins. I got this product online when i bought my Clarins Eye Quartet Mineral Palette which i reviewed here. 

Ok so essentially what is this product? It's a self tanner for the face which also claims to perfect the skin and produce a gorgeous natural looking glow. I was interested to read this product contains acacia micro-pearls, heaven knows what they are but they sound expensive so that works for me!

In order to apply this product you perform your normal daily routine, so i exfoliated with my St Ives facial scrub then cleansed my face before moisturising (skipped the toner, sorry peeps), then i used the TINIEST amount of this and blended it into my face before applying my makeup as normal after about a two minute wait. You really don't need a lot of this at all so i know it is going to last ages, yay! But as with all tanning agents it is important to exfoliate beforehand, tan sticking to dry areas is not a good look!

This product was £17.50 and was a really good buy IMO. In other words, i am really glad i bought it as i noticed the results straight away, so i will continue to use it with pride.

There is only one down side... as soon as i opened this pot of magical loveliness.. i was hit by a not so magical smell. This does have a tan/biscuity smell about it that is quite strong. I can live with it but you ought to know! I'm just going to apply it holding my breath, it's not that bad really but it is a slight downside.

I hope you enjoyed this review and i hope you have a lovely day. Mine shall be filled with essay prep that is literally killing me, but i won't go on (:

Thankyou for reading!

XOXO

How to Look the Best at Everything by Benefit - Light

Good morning!

Today i'm going to introduce you to one of my christmas presents! Yay! 
Lovely beauty readers please meet the 'How to Look the Best at Everything set by Benefit in Light and vice versa!

I have wanted this product for sooo long i literally felt like i would never own it!

I have been a huge fan of Benefit makeup products for such a long time now, their play stick foundation (i am shade tea party) was my no1 foundation choice for like.. EVEER. The only downside was i go through them like there's no tomorrow! One will literally only last me about a month, so i had to be more economical and switch *sad face* to a liquid foundation so my bank card wouldn't dissolve before my eyes.

Anywho.. the reason i've been lusting after this product is because it is one of the only sets where i have NEVER tried one of the products included.. and each one of these looks fabulous! 

Look, here it is, basking in all its gloriousness, rose tinted glow and all!

So what do we have included in this little book of tricks?

1. POREfessional PRO Balm designed to minimise the appearance of facial pores

2. Hello Flawless Oxygen Wow Brightening makeup in shade "Cheers to me"

3. Boi-ing 01 and 02 industrial strength concealer *hooray*

4. Hello Flawless Champagne Custom Powder coverup in shade "me vain?"

Oooohhh.. sounds good right? I'm ready for my close up..

Break it Down!

This set comes in shades light, medium and deep and retails at £24.50. I'm loving the look of this little collection and i'm dying to get my little paws on each of these fabulous products. I guess the only thing i'm thinking right now is that it would be nice if the little powder could come out along with the other products.. as some people might prefer that. However, i'm a bit of a prissy miss in the sense that i like to keep things IN THE BOX. In fact i'll go one step further, as i like to just keep the products IN THE BOX AND STARE AT THEM. FOR A LONG TIME.

I know i'm weird.. but i like to keep things in their original condition pretty much and have everything looking lovely and beautiful, i guess it's like being a Star-trek addict and keeping your prized figurines inside the original packaging.. that's like me but with beauty. Why Why?? I hear you scream, as surely beauty products and makeup are there to be messed with! I totally agree... i just like to do it in my own time, because i like to be weird tidy.

Anyway i digress. This set looks lovely and when you think about it it really is a reasonable price. I mean, how much do you spend on your face? If you take the price of your foundation, concealer/s and powder/s into account, how much does it come to? I bet it will come to more than £24.50, i know my foundation alone is more than that! In contest yes i know this foundation is not the full size one, but i still think this set is a reasonable price for what you get.

I hope you like my review of the How to Look the Best at Everything set by Benefit, i will keep you dolls updated on this product after i use it for the first time today. See, i'm not that weird!

TaTa for now, 

XOXO

MAC Eyeshadow Review - Honey Lust

Hey Dolls, 

I'm now going to review an eyeshadow by MAC called Honey Lust. This is another little item i picked up at the duty free, but it's RRP is £12.

I know i'm going to offend possibly millions of you out there, but i am not a total MAC junkie. That's not to say i don't like their products, believe me i do. However, i don't swear by their products as there are other brands i prefer, although i'm not doubting the quality of the brand in any way and i do (as you can see) enjoy picking out their products from time to time, i'm just saying i'm not a MAC addict.

This is a lovely eyeshadow which i would describe as having a coppery golden tone. The eyeshadow is smooth and well pigmented and blends very easily. This eyeshadow will go perfectly with my gold/neutral/beige eyeshadows which are normally my regular eyeshadow colours which i opt for on a daily basis!

I hope you liked this review, thanks for reading!

XOXO

YSL Shocking Mascara Review

Merry Christmas Lovelies!

I hope you're all having a lovely day full of wonderful family moments with presents to your hearts desire! I've had a great day with my mum and boyfriend and i am now going to take the time to review a product which has a very special place in my heart!

YSL Shocking Mascara is something that had been on my radar for a while, but i hadn't had a chance to get hold of it until i went to Munich and i experienced Manchester Airport's epic duty-free!!

I think this cost me around £18 but i know it retails at about £23. When my Benefit 'They're Real!' mascara dried up a piece of me died, but then i came across this baby! 

At first look this product reminds me of the Touche Eclat packaging (my other little ray of sunshine). I was initially sceptical about the brush and thought hmm this thing is going to ruin my eyeshadow in an instant as it looks quite clumpy and clunky, but the results are truly fantastic!

As you can see i have got a lot of love for this product, it really does give a falsh lash effect that is to die for! The only down side is obviously the price. £23 would be too steep for me really, Benefit's 'They're Real!' is a bit much at £18.50 but as i got this at the duty free i'll see how i get on before i decided to replace it. Got to watch the pennies and all that, especially now Christmas is out of the way!

Lots of love and i hope you like my little review of love for the YSL Shocking Mascara.

Have you tried it? What do you think? Please share your experiences with me!

Merry Christmas Dolls

XOXO

Clarins Eye Quartet Mineral Palette 09 Odyssey

Hello lovely readers, thought i would get a blog post done before tomorrow as things are going to be a bit hectic. I haven't finished the Xmas shopping yet, yes I'm a last minute Jane, plus have to do the big food shop tomorrow as the only thing i've got is the turkey!

Anyway, to take my mind off the stress i am going to review an eye quarter i have been lusting over for a while. I saw this product being reviewed and tried to get hold of it online but couldn't, until a week ago when it was available, yay!

Ok so ho ho and away we go...

This eye quartet was bought from Clarins online for £30.

Lovely luxe packaging (a la Dior, Chanel etc), a luxe velvet case is provided to encompass the palette and an application card is provided.

Here is the palette in all her glory!

So as you can see we have a myriad of brown tonal shades with a gorgeous gobsmacking gold leaping out from the palette! To be honest this gorgeous gold shade is the predominant reason as to why i bought this palette, i think it is truly beautiful!

Below are swatches of the eyeshadows moving from left to right across the palette. These were applied wet as the product description states these eyeshadows can we applies wet or dry, however i found the shades really came to life when applied wet.

Don't you just love 'em! I think they are absolutely gorgeous and i am so pleased i splashed out to get this palette. Admittedly colour 1 and 3 are a tad similar, but i can work with that and the gold really is the stand out shade for me. I can't wait to get going and start doing some Christmas looks with these! 

I hope you enjoyed my post. Please let me know your thoughts on this product! 

XOXO

Battle of the Beauty Boxes

Glossybox December 2012 VS Latest in Beauty Party Prep Box

Hi guys! I hope everyone isn't stressing too much about their christmas shopping, i thought i would do a beauty box review as i haven't done one so far and i have been a frequent subscriber up until recently.

Ok so just a bit about my beauty box experience so far, i started off with Glossybox but i recently cancelled my subscription in favour of the She Said Beauty box. However i recently heard that this December will be the last of the She Said Beauty boxes! Noo! *dabs eyes* So i decided to find a new box which is when i stumbled across Latest in Beauty. 

So, i decided to purchase the Glossybox again as with it being the Christmas box i anticipated it would be amazeballs. I decided to be greedy and also give Latest in Beauty a whirl too as i had heard a lot of good things about them :)

Ok so, first of all i will start with my review of the Glossybox for December 2012.

In round 1...

This months box is silver which was a very festive feel!

The box is very well presented with a silver bow inside and lovely starry wrapping paper. Me likey!

Inside the box are five products and one bonus product, so six altogether.

As you can see the box is also filled with silver shredded paper.. can't help but think at this point that the box would be pretty empty if it didn't have all that paper inside..

The first product i am going to talk about is the ARgENTUM anti-aging cream. Two sachets are included in this box which are described as giving a tightening and firming effect on the skin whilst also moisturising the skin as the cream carries 10,000 times its weight in water (sounds a bit like hydraluron cream) however this product normally retails at £147.00

Next up i am absolutely loving the look of the red lipstick which is by Sleek Makeup and is a Matte True Colour Lipstick in shade 'Stiletto'.

I am very pleased with this product as i have been dying to try a matte lipstick for ages as i'm a matte lippy virgin. Red is always a great bold choice too especially for christmas!

A nail polish by Seche Nail Lacquer is included (I do like it when they call it lacquer, very OPI glitz and glamour) and this is a pearlescent pink with purple undertones i would say! Not totally enamoured by the colour at this point but it is full size at £9.95 and is described as giving a one coat coverage, this should be interesting!

Next is a product by Rituals, which is a brand i have tried before. I saw them in a German department store and i also received a rituals box for christmas from my Dutch aunty so this brand must be very popular abroad too! I'm not totally enamoured as i never find myself in desperate need of a body cream as i seem to have about a million, but apparantly this is a bestseller which combines rice milk, antioxidants and cherry blossom! Oooh!

The next product is a perfume sample, whether or not this should count as one item is debated by many as you can normally get perfume testers for free. I can't say I'm loving this inclusion as the scent is quite mature for me. That's not to say this doesn't smell good but i don't think i would rush out to buy it, as i'm not overly enthralled by the name either, it's a bit 'does what it says on the tin' for me and if i really wanted to smell like lemon i'm sure i could do so at a cheaper price, as this perfume retails at £60 for 50ml and at the lowest £30 for a purse spray.

Finally Glossybox have included an 'intensive powder blush' in shade 'Glossy Rosewood', which is a pale pink. The initial swatch i tried on my hand doesn't fill me with hope as it doesn't appear too vibrant but i am looking forward to giving this a go in better lighting.

My thoughts...

In all honesty, i can't say i am completely enamoured with this box, but then again this is probably testament as to why i cancelled my subscription, i wasn't totally loving the products i was receiving and also felt i didn't always get value for money.

However in order to balance my view, i am loving the red lipstick and i would really like to give it a try. I also like the face cream sachets and will enjoy them thoroughly, the pink blusher is also a staple of mine so i am willing to experiment with that!

Score: 6/10
Price: £12.95

Latest in Beauty Party Prep Box

I have been following this website for a while and when i saw that they were offering different themed boxes i jumped at the party prep box. Before you buy you can see what's included, so there are no disappointing surprises.

Contents

1 x Filosofille Tweezers (full size) 
1 x Cosmopolitan Beauty Expert Perfect Finish Blush Brush (full size) 
1 x Mirenesse Lip Lift Moisture Shine (1.5g) 
1 x YARDLEY Refreshing Body Spray (75ml) 
1 x Batiste Dry Shampoo (50ml) 
1 x Dermalogica Favourites Pack (various sizes) 
1 x Benefit - they're Real! Mascara (3g) 
1 x ST. TROPEZ Instant Glow Body Lotion (50ml) 
1 x The Vintage Cosmetics Company Lash Curler (full size) 
1 x The Vintage Cosmetics Company Strip Lashes (full size) 
1 x STEAMCREAM All In One Natural Moisturiser - (full size - 75g) 

All i can say is WOWZERS! 

When i opened this up i was so happy, like a child in a sweet shop, plus there was no messy inside packaging to fill space as each product in this box was crammed in as it was so full to the brim! Yay that's what we like! 

Steam Cream Moisturiser for face, body and hands!

Some lovely false eyelashes perfect for either day or evening wear IMO! Can't wait to try them. 

A girl always needs an eyelash curler..

Filosofille tweezers, very funky i am loving the look of these and they look very good quality. 

Ahhh St Tropez!! Fake tan staple!! Love love love great for the party season

This lip gloss looks lovely and is a sort of sugar plum colour. Lovely!

I've never tried Dermalogica as a brand, i did get the Fresh Start box with a Glossybox previously but i've never tried it! This set includes a special cleansing gel, daily microfoliant, skin smoothing cream and a multivitamin power firm. 

A blusher brush is next, actually really need one of these!!

A self tan mitt which i am also without, but not anymore!

I recently ran out of my Benefit 'They're real!' Mascara, therefore i am super super pleased to receive this dinky travel size version.

Yardley English Rose body spray, you can never have too many body sprays!

Birch cellulite oil, helps to improve skin tone and appearance. I won't tell you where this is going! Ok i will, my thighs! Shhh!

Dry shampoo.. yay not tried this one but i do have the cherry one! Can't go wrong with dry shampoo!

I am literally loving every single product in this box. Everything i bought i am 100% happy with and i will use every single item, i'm so glad i got this box because the products also combine with each other in terms of use, e.g self tan mitt + fake tan, Mascara + eyelash curler + false eyelashes etc! 

The total of this box combined is worth over £120, but costs £19.95 plus £4.95 p+p from Latest in Beauty. I know this seems a lot but when you look at the products you receive, all well known established brands which normally aren't cheap, you really can't go wrong in my opinion. I know it's an investment but it really is a lovely treat and when i think of how much money i have spent on beauty boxes and how many have left me disappointed.. i really think this is the way forward.

Score: 10/10.
Price: £19.95 plus £4.95 p+p.

Who wins? I will let you decide what you think about both boxes as i have highlighted my pro's and con's but i know there are a lot of Glossybox lovers out there. I would love to hear your views!

I hope you enjoyed reading this post and thanks for reading!

XOXO