GIVEAWAY: Win a Grow Gorgeous haircare bundle!

I'm very excited to be able to host a giveaway as a Christmas treat for my readers, in conjunction with Grow Gorgeous - a brand that has been featured on the blog numerous time throughout the year!

The prize contains the following:

A volumising shampoo and conditioner

Hair Density Nutrients

Scalp Detox

Hair Growth Serum

Back Into The Roots Treatment Mask

There are six mandatory steps to take, all of which are detailed in the Rafflecopter widget below. You must follow me on Bloglovin, Twitter and Instagram and you must tweet the giveaway link. You must also follow Grow Gorgeous on Twitter and Instagram.  All of the links are in the Rafflecopter widget.

If you don't complete steps 1-6, your entry will not be valid and will be deleted. If you follow and then unfollow, your entry will not be valid and will be deleted. If you leave a section blank or with N/A, your entry will be deleted.

There are a number of ways to earn extra entries:  love this post on Bloglovin, comment on this post telling me what you're looking forward to in 2018 product is and leave a relevant comment on any other blog post. These are optional but all are worth five extra entries each.

The giveaway will end on January 5th at midnight and the winner will be chosen via random.org. I will then contact the winner who will have 48 hours to respond to my mail. If the winner does not respond within 48 hours, they will be disqualified and another winner will be chosen. If you are under 16, you must ask the permission of your parent/guardian to enter as you will have to disclose your address. This giveaway is open internationally.  Grow Gorgeous have kindly provided the prize.. There is no cash alternative or substitution available.

Best of luck!
a Rafflecopter giveaway

Thanks for reading! 

Follow Beautylymin on Bloglovin, Twitter and Instagram for regular updates!

All products are bought by me, unless otherwise stated. Opinion is always my own.

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Giveaway, Grow Gorgeous, Grow Gorgeous Hair Density Shampoo, Haircare, Leave in Conditioner, review

Happy Christmas & Highlights of 2017

Image source: Pinterest

Just a quick post from me today to wish you all a very Happy Christmas! I am taking a break for the holidays to spend quality time with my husband and both our families. We will be with my husband's family for a week and then back home to celebrate with my family. My husband is finishing work today until January 8th so I am looking forward to lots of quality time with him!

As it's my last post of the year, I wanted to reflect on 2017 and share some of my personal highlights with you and I would love to hear your highlights too!

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Christmas, health, Personal, Reflection, review

Brand Focus #12 Marc Jacobs Beauty

I'm back with my final Brand Focus of the year! I'm so glad that I started this series this year because it has made me rotate my products on a regular basis but also because the posts seem to have gone down really well with you all too! I'm happy that I have done 12 in 12 months (see series here) and already I'm thinking about the brands I can include next year but today, it's all about Marc Jacobs! I love the sleek black packaging of Marc Jacobs products, but I'm less keen on the animal print packaging of the Christmas collection this year!

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(P)out liner, Air Blush, Brand Focus, Dew Drops Coconut, Enamored Hi-Shine Gloss, Eye Liner, Eye-Conic Edgitorial, Face Primer, Gel Eye Crayon, Marc Jacobs, review, Twinkle Shadow Stick, Velvet Noir Mascara

Personalised Christmas Gifts from Lanai Blo and Instyler styling tools

My friends and family tell me that I'm difficult to buy for but, I think that I am easily pleased - having something personalised really thrills me because Siobhán is not the kind of name that you regularly see on products in shops. Even now, when I see baubles or badges with all of the popular names on them, I still check to see if there will be a Siobhán and 99.999999% of the time, there isn't. Therefore, you can imagine how delighted I was to receive a Lanai Blo hairdryer with my name on it! I think this would make a brilliant Christmas gift, not only because it is personalised, but because it is a superb hair dryer!

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Christmas, Glossie, Haircare, Instyler, Lanai Blo, review

Festive makeup picks featuring Natasha Denona, Marc Jacobs, Make Up Forever & more!

I love that at Christmas it's perfectly acceptable to go full on with your makeup whether it's day or night - glitter, highlighter, false lashes and red lips! Today I am sharing the products that I'll be wearing over the next few weeks....

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Charlotte Tilbury, clinique, Cover Fx, Hourglass, Huda Beauty, MAC, Make Up For Ever, Marc Jacobs, Natasha Denona

Christmas Beauty Gifting with M&S!

Have you finished your Christmas shopping yet? Or maybe you haven't started? In that case, you're in luck because Marks and Spencer currently have a 50% off Christmas Beauty Gifting Event running online and in their stores. Today I want to show you four fab gifts that are all under £20 and would be a big hit with any beauty fan, unfortunately they aren't included in the gifting event but they are amazing value anyway.

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Christmas, Essie, Gift Guide, Glow Tonic, Marks & Spencer, nail polish, Percy & Reed, Pixi, ren, review

Brand Focus #11 Ouai

Ouai is a brand that has exploded on to the beauty scene - everything about it from it's aesthetically pleasing and very instagrammable packaging to the fact that the creator (Jen Atkin) is also hairdresser to the Kardashians, has grabbed the attention of the beauty world. However, aesthetics and big names are not enough to sustain a brand - luckily, the products are pretty amazing so Ouai is here to stay! I haven't tried everything Ouai has to offer, however I think I have used enough to do a brand focus post as I have something to cover every step in a haircare routine.

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Brand Focus, conditioner, cruelty free, Cult Beauty, Hair Mask, Hair Oil, Haircare, Leave in Conditioner, Ouai, review, shampoo, Texturizing Hair Spray

Cult Favourites 2017: Discovery of the year

Today is the fourth and final instalment of my Cult Favourites of 2017, which coincides with Cult Beauty's Product of 2017 campaign, where you can win a £100 Cult Beauty voucher daily! More information on that at the end of the post. The focus of today's post is products that I discovered and fell in love with this year! I have seven products and then I will choose one to be my ultimate favourite!

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Alpha-H, Cover Fx, Custom Enhancer Drops, Essential Moisture Cream, Glow Recipe Watermelon Sleeping Mask, Illuminating Setting Spray, Liquid Gold Rose, Pixi, Touch In Sol

Cult Favourites 2017: Bath/Body/Hair

I hope you've been enjoying this series of 2017 Cult favourites, which coincides with Cult Beauty's Cult Product of the year campaign. You can win a £100 Cult Beauty voucher daily so keep reading for more details on that! Today I am focusing on bath, body and hair products and I only have five products to talk about as I'm not overly adventurous in this area! At the end I will choose one of the five to be my Cult Product of this category!

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Ameliorate Smoothing Body Exfoliant, Bum Bum Cream, Cult Beauty, Favourites, Ouai, Sol De Janeiro, Texturizing Hair Spray, Therapie, Treatment Masque

Cult Favourites 2017: Makeup

Today's Cult favourites of 2017 is all about makeup and this is a category where I could easily get carried away but I narrowed it down to nine and then I will choose just one to be my absolute Cult Makeup product of 2017! Don't forget that you have the chance to win a £100 Cult Beauty voucher - keep reading to the end for details on that!

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Aqua Luminous Perfecting Foundation, BECCA, Champagne Pop, Charlotte Tilbury, Chrissy Teigen, Cult Beauty, Favourites, Hollywood Beauty Light Wand, Huda Beauty, Kevyn Aucoin, Liquid Crystal Glow Gloss, stila

2017 Cult Favourites: Skincare

I usually post my end of year round up of favourite products in December but this year, I am posting them a little earlier to coincide with Cult Beauty's Cult Product of 2017 campaign, which is very exciting as you have the chance to win a £100 Cult Beauty voucher every day - keep reading to the end for details on that! Regular readers won't be surprised by any of the products as I have raved about them numerous times but it's good to put them all together in one post to showcase the best of the best! At the end, I will choose just one product from each category that is my Cult Product of 2017. Today, the focus is on skincare because we all know that I'm a total skincare junkie!

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Anti-ageing, Cult Beauty, Favourites, Omorovicza, Oskia, Peter Thomas Roth, Product of the Year, skincare, Sunday Riley

5 palettes that should be on your Christmas wish list!

As a palette addict, I had to do a separate post on them rather than include them in my Christmas Gift Guides! Today I am sharing five palettes that should be on your Christmas wish list if you don't own them already. All five were released this year and I think anyone who loves makeup would be delighted to find one of these under the tree at Christmas!

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BECCA, Charlotte Tilbury, Christmas, Eye Shadow palette, Face Palette, Gift Guide, Hourglass, Hourglass Ambient Lighting Edit, Huda Beauty, Natasha Denona

Christmas Gift Guide: Makeup & Nails

Today's gift guide is all about makeup and nail products. I have included some eye products but I will have a separate post on Friday with larger palettes, otherwise this post would be far too long! Everything here is under €50/£50 with most products being round the €25-30/£25-30 mark so hopefully there is something to suit all budgets!

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Butter London, Charlotte Tilbury, Christmas, Cover Fx, Custom Enhancer Drops, Gift Guide, Highlighter, lipstick, Natasha Denona, stila, Temple Spa

Christmas Gift Guide: Bath & Body

I hope you enjoyed the skincare installment of my Christmas Gift Guide yesterday, today it's all about bath & body products. I personally love to receive a gift in this genre because I love a good pamper session and usually only use budget body products so to receive something a little fancier is a real treat! I have five products that I hope will serve as some inspiration as a gift for somebody in your life who needs a good pamper!

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Christmas, Gift Guide, Jo Malone, Korres, Moroccanoil, Temple Spa

Christmas Gift Guide for skincare lovers!

All this week, I am going to be sharing my Christmas Gift Guides on the blog! There are so many amazing gift sets available at the moment but rather than just list everything that's out there, I am focusing on gifts that I have bought for friends and family (I hope they aren't reading!) or would love to receive myself so I hope they can provide some inspiration for those of you who have yet to start your Christmas shopping. Today, the focus is on skincare sets, which I love because they give the opportunity to try a number of products from a brand, usually for the price of one full size product. 

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Advanced Night Repair, Christmas, Estée Lauder, Gift Guide, Liz Earle, Omorovicza, origins, skincare, Temple Spa

Is a tingle a good thing in skincare? Review: Herbivore Botanicals Blue Tansy Face Mask

Earlier this year, after using a product that was sent to me, my skin went crazy and broke out like never before. I have dry skin and don't normally have to worry about breakouts, apart from the odd hormonal spot that comes at a certain time of the month and even at that, it isn't every month. My skin reacted so badly to the product and triggered such a bad breakout that it honestly took around 6-8 weeks to settle down and clear up (shea butter and cocoa butter are not friends of my face!). I was really desperate for my skin to get back to normal because not only were the spots very painful but my skin was also very inflamed and I didn't like applying makeup as I didn't want to aggravate it further but sometimes I just had to! Why am I telling you this? Well during that time, I felt that I needed a new product to my routine to treat the breakout and prevent more occurring and that is why I bought the subject of today's post: Herbivore Botanicals Blue Tansy Face Mask. 

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Blue Tansy, cruelty free, face mask, Herbivore Botanicals, review, skincare

Christmas Gift Guide: Perfumes & Aftershave with Fragrance Direct

Over the next fortnight, I will be sharing some Christmas Gift Ideas here on the blog. I know that some people may think Christmas shopping belongs in December and each to their own, but in my book, it's never too early to start! I have a big family and buy for around 25 people on my side alone so I always start early! For at least 15 years now, I have always bought aftershaves for my three brothers and I have asked them several times if they would like me to buy something different and every time, they say that they would be disappointed if I didn't buy it for them because it's something that they would rarely treat themselves to. I know that fragrance is quite personal but if you have an idea of the type of scent that a person likes, you should be able to choose a suitable perfume or aftershave or you could always re-stock an old favourite. I also like how compact fragrances are so if you go away for the festive season, which I am doing this year, so I will be buying some for my sisters in-law as they won't take too much room in my luggage. I also love to receive perfume for Christmas and all of my family know that so I usually end up with at least 2 new bottles! Today I am sharing two fragrances that are personal favourites that might work as gifts for your loved ones but there are so many more available on Fragrance Direct.

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Aftershave, Boss Bottled Tonic, Chloé, Christmas, EDT, Fragrance Direct, Gift Guide, Perfume, review

Christmas gift ideas with World Duty Free

I don't know about you, but one of my favourite things about going abroad is doing a little bit of shopping in Duty Free! I usually squirrel away some money just to spend there because there is always amazing value to be had. I also like to take advantage of family members flying by using Reserve & Collect, which means that you can browse the site to check availability and price of products and reserve them. This is particularly useful if you will be short on time in the airport or want to be sure your friend or family member picks up the right product for you. Also, you get to reserve the products at the price they are on that particular day, so if they increase in price by the time you fly, you will still pay the lower price. It is also useful for doing Christmas shopping because you know that all of the products you want will be in stock. Today, I want to share three products that are amazing value and can be bought in World Duty Free.

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Benefit, Christmas, clarins, Clarins Essential Grab & Fly Kit, Duty Free, Gift Guide, Highlighter, skincare, Smashbox, Smashbox & Casey Holmes Spotlight Palette, Sunday My Prince Will Come, World Duty Free

REVIEW: Natasha Denona Sunset Palette

As you probably know, I am a huge fan of Natasha Denona products (see brand focus post here), particularly her eyeshadows but so far, I have only had her 5 pan palettes. When I received the Sunset Palette, you could have knocked me down with a feather because I lusted after it when it was released but it sold out very quickly. Fear not, it is now back in stock and is part of the permanent line! I love the selection of warm shadows and that there is a good range of shades so even if a bright yellow isn't to your taste, there are many wearable shades in the palette too.

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cruelty free, eyeshadow, Eyeshadow palette, Natasha Denona, review, Sunset Palette

GIVEAWAY & REVIEW: L'Occitane Advent Calendar

Beauty advent calendars have really increased in popularity in the last few years, with so many brands now releasing them. Today I am very excited to share my thoughts on the 2017 L'Occitane Advent Calendar and I also have one to give away to one of you!  The Classic Beauty Advent Calendar has a value of £87 but is priced at £49 so that's quite the saving!

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Advent Calendar, Christmas, Giveaway, L'occitane, Minis, review, Samples

Brand Focus #10 Huda Beauty

It's time for another Brand Focus post (see previous posts here) and this time, it's all about Huda Beauty, which also coincides with it being Cult Beauty's Brand of the Month. If you aren't already aware, that means that there is free shipping on all Huda Beauty products for the month of November. Unless you have been hiding under a rock, you will know who Huda Kattan is but if you don't, what you need to know is that she is a hugely successful American-Iraqi makeup artist and youtuber who is now C.E.O. of her own beauty empire. Her first release was false lashes but she has since released eyeshadow palettes, highlighters, lip products and, more recently, a foundation and today I will give you an overview of all of the products I have tried. I love that Huda's face is on all of her products - I have heard some people say that it's narcissistic but I think that there couldn't be a better model or ambassador for her own brand. Remember that Huda Beauty is a relatively new brand so more products will be added to the line in time.

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#Faux Filter Foundation, 3D Highlight Palette, Brand Focus, Complexion Perfection, Desert Dusk Palette, Huda Beauty, Lip Contour, Lip Strobe, Liquid Matte Lipstick, review, Warm Brown Obsessions Palette

Jo Malone Christmas 2017 Limited Edition products: Orange Bitters Cologne and Pine & Eucalyptus Candle

Every year when the Christmas limited edition Jo Malone products are released, I tell myself that I will buy everything something but every year, the products sell out really quickly, plus it's at a time of year when I should be thinking about buying for others so I generally miss out. This year, I happened to be going through Duty Free around the time of the release and managed to bag myself two of the products that I had wanted last year - Orange Bitters Cologne and Pine & Eucalyptus Home Candle. It was hard to resist them because of the savings involved!

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Candle, Christmas, Cologne, Jo Malone, Orange Bitters, Perfume, Pine & Eucalyptus, review

Have problems sleeping? You need to try '& Now To Sleep' from REN

Regular readers will know that I use pillow sprays every night and have tried a number of brands, so you can imagine my delight when I was offered the opportunity to try the newest kid of the block: & Now to Sleep from REN. I also knew how I could put it to the ultimate test - the last time I stayed in my Father In-Law's house, I spotted a mouse in the bedroom and I was terrified. My husband thought I was googling "how to catch a mouse" but what I was actually doing was booking a hotel for the night! That was Christmas 2014 and I haven't stayed there since (I've stayed with other relations so I'm not a totally awful in-law!) but recently, we went back to stay with my Father In-Law and I won't lie, I was dreading it because I am absolutely terrified of mice (not to mention that they carry Lyme Disease!). & Now To Sleep arrived at the perfect time because I knew if it helped me sleep through those three nights, it would be a miracle worker. Read on to hear how it performed....

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& Now To Sleep, Insomnia, Pillow Spray, ren, review

The Natasha Denona Holiday Collection 2017

If you have read my blog for any amount of time, you will know that I am a huge fan of Natasha Denona products (brand focus post here), particularly her glow collection but more especially, her eyeshadows. The pigmentation, texture, blendability and wear time of her shadows is second to none - they practically blend themselves. I had planned on buying one of the limited edition 5 pan palettes from her new Holiday Collection but to my total surprise and utter appreciation, I was kindly gifted the entire Holiday 2017 collection! I have been playing with the products for the last few weeks and am ready to share my thoughts with you today! Grab a snack because it's gonna be a long one!

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Aeris, Chroma Crystal Top Coat, cruelty free, Eyeshadow palette, Holiday 2017 Collection, Joya, Natasha Denona, review

My current most used face masks featuring Omorovicza, Image Skincare, Christian Breton & more!

Following on from Thursday's Autumn skincare post, today I am sharing the face masks that are currently on rotation. For full disclaimer purposes, all of these masks were sent to me over recent months but regular readers will know that I am always honest regardless of whether I buy a product myself or it is sent to me but I just wanted to put it out there at the beginning of the post! For reference, my skin is very dry and quite reactive/sensitive at times

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Anti-ageing, Anti-Wrinkle Facial Mask, Christian Breton, clarins, face mask, Image Skincare, Midnight Radiance, NIA, Omorovicza, SOS Comfort Mask, Sunday Detox, Temple Spa, Vital C Hydrating Enzyme Masque

Current loves #3 featuring Charlotte Tilbury, Hourglass, Natasha Denona & more!

I no longer do monthly favourites posts but when I find that there are products that I am using pretty consistently, I want to share them with you, which is what I am doing today! These are the products that are my go-to, and they are all also easy and quick to use so on days where I am unsure what to do with my makeup, I use these products!

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Anastasia Beverly Hills, Butter London, Charlotte Tilbury, Favourites, Hourglass, Hourglass Ambient Lighting Edit, Make Up For Ever, Natasha Denona, Vinylux, ysl

Benefit Christmas Gift Sets in Debenhams for the beauty lovers in your life!

It's never too early to start thinking about Christmas in my book and particularly so if you are shopping for beauty fanatics as most of the holiday sets are released in October and sell out quickly because they are great value. My first port of call for makeup shopping is Debenhams because they stock a huge variety of brands and also, I can earn points on my Beauty Club Card, which I can later spend on more gifts or (more likely) on myself! They also offer next day delivery or click and collect, both of which are very convenient. One of the brands that does Christmas Sets really well is Benefit and I want to share my thoughts on two of their holiday sets with you today.

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Advent Calendar, BAYBalicious Make Up Gift Set, Benefit, Christmas, Gimme Brow, High Beam, Hoola, Porefessional, review, Roller Lash, They're Real, Watt's Up

Alessandra Steinherr made me buy it!

Although I dislike the term 'influencer' there is no doubt that I have been enabled to buy A LOT of beauty products as a result of recommendations from people in the beauty world - I'm not talking about just big beauty bloggers but also micro bloggers, whose opinions I have come to trust. I thought this would be a good idea for a series of posts and today I am starting it with Alessandra Steinherr, who is the Beauty Director at Glamour  & who has the skin of dreams! I wish I could buy everything that she recommends but I'd need to win the lotto to do that! Today I am sharing six products that I love and bought because Alessandra recommended them and some of them are pretty affordable!

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Alessandra, Alex Steinherr, Ameliorate Smoothing Body Exfoliant, Charlotte Tilbury, Collosol No Rinse Cleansing & Softening Milk, First Love, Glamour, Hand & Body Repair, It Cosmetics, MAC, Mixa, Stretch Mascara

REVIEW: Too Faced Boss Lady Beauty Agenda

I told myself that I wouldn't buy too many Christmas Makeup Gift Sets this year, but I couldn't resist the Too Faced Boss Lady Beauty Agenda and I really don't know why -  I don't particularly like the term Boss Lady (or Girl Boss, for that matter) and I don't need a diary because I use a bullet journal! I do, however, really love the formula of Too Faced eyeshadows (brand focus here) and I really liked the look of the shade selection so I threw caution to the wind and placed my order. I have to say that I have very mixed feelings on this set - read on to hear why!

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blush, Bronzer, Christmas, Eye Shadow palette, gift set, Highlighter, review, Too Faced, Too Faced Boss Lady Beauty Agenda

Not Into Aging: Nia skincare review

Nia skincare is a brand that I have seen American bloggers and youtubers using as it is sold in Ulta in the U.S. but it has recently come over to the U.K. and I was given the opportunity to try some of their products. Nia stands for Not Into Aging and it was developed to counteract the daily stressors of modern life, such as environmental damage, damage caused from looking down at our phones and late nights. All of the products are centred around a patented ingredient - NIA-114 ™ - a molecule that enhances the performance of other ingredients and strengthens the skin's moisture barrier. I have been using the three products for a number of weeks and really like two of them so read on for my thoughts....

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face mask, Fully Charged, Glow On Demand, moisturiser, NIA, Not into Aging, review, skincare, Sunday Detox

REVIEW & GIVEAWAY! Hourglass Ambient Lighting Edit Volume 3

We all know that I am a huge Hourglass fan (brand focus post here), so when I saw that they were releasing a third edition of their Ambient Lighting Edit, it took me all of two seconds to decide I needed it in my life! I mean it's rose gold and it's Hourglass so of course I had to buy it! I know that so many people would also love to own the palette so I also bought a second one to do a giveaway because I haven't done one in months and I thought this would be the perfect prize! Details on how you can enter are at the end of this post so keep reading....

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Ambient Lighting Edit, blush, Bronzer, cruelty free, Giveaway, Highlighter, Hourglass, review

Support The Mariposa Trust with Temple Spa

I absolutely love when brands give back and today I want to tell you about the amazing partnership between Temple Spa and The Mariposa Trust this month and how you can support the charity by purchasing some Temple Spa products and also the special offers that are available. The Mariposa Trust is an international charity that supports people who have lost a child, whether that was during pregnancy, through childbirth or during infancy regardless of when the loss occurred. The aim of the partnership is to raise as much money as possible to enable the Trust to have a 24 hour helpline so that there will always be somebody kind and knowledgeable to talk to regardless of the time of day or night. This is something that has probably touched most of us - personally or through friends and family, so I'm sure you'll agree that this partnership is very worthwhile. You can read more about the Saying Goodbye division of the charity here.

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Body Care, Bosom Pal, face mask, Gift With Purchase, Gift With Purpose, Repose, skincare, Take A Moment, Temple Spa, The Mariposa Trust, Trufflesque Mask

24K Gold Cleansing with Bio Essence

Bio Essence is an Asian brand that I have only come to know in recent months after seeing it appear on some of my favourite blogs so when they contacted me to see if I wanted to try two cleansers from their 24K Bio-Gold range, I jumped at the chance. The products in this range are infused with 24K gold, which is an anti-oxidant that blocks free radicals and because the products are infused with Bio-Energy Fluid, the 24K Bio-Gold can be absorbed quickly and deeply into the skin. This results in improved blood and oxygen circulation and increased collagen production, which means plumper and more youthful skin. Sounds promising? Read on to hear my thoughts....

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24 K Bio-Gold, Bio Essence, Cleanser, review, Skin Awakening Day Cleanser, Skin Radiance Night Cleanser, skincare

REVIEW: Coloured Raine Queen of Hearts Eyeshadow Palette

My third palette review in a week? What can I say - I'm a palette addict! I also thought they might be useful if anybody is in the market for a new eyeshadow palette, given that the festive party season isn't too far away (where the hell has this year gone?!). Today I am talking about Coloured Raine Queen Of Hearts palette, which at first glance looks very similar to Huda Beauty Desert Dusk palette, but does it perform as well as the Huda palette? Read on....

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Beauty Bay, Coloured Raine, Eyeshadow palette, palette, Queen Of Hearts, review

How the FENTY BEAUTY Pro Filt'r foundation performs on dry skin

Last month, Fenty Beauty launched with a bang and whilst some of the products didn't particularly interest me, I decided that if I was only going to try one product from the range it had to be the Pro Filt'r Soft Matte foundation. Although I generally prefer glowy base products, I thought that a soft matte might work for me, even if I had to add an Illuminating Face Mist to add some luminosity. I have seen lots of positive reviews of this foundation but today I wanted to tell you how it performed on my dry skin.

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Dry Skin, FENTY BEAUTY, foundation, Harvey Nichols, Pro Filt'r Soft Matte Foundation, review

HEALTH: What having a Chronic illness has taught me

Image taken from Pinterest.

I don't often post anything particularly personal on the blog but I want to introduce some posts about my journey with Lyme Disease, Bartonella, Babesia & other viral infections, because it is a huge part of my life and an illness that people need to be aware of and know more about because it is hugely debilitating and life changing if not recognised and treated quickly. I have had it for 17 years so I have a lot to say but I don't want this to become a Lyme blog so I think I will keep the posts to once weekly. I believe that there are always positives in every situation and this attitude has kept me sane over the last 17 years. Here are some of the lessons I have learned along the way.

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Anaplasmosis, Babesia, Bartonella, Chronic Lyme Disease, Fibromyalgia, health, invisible illness, Lyme Disease, M.E., Personal

My favourite Grow Gorgeous hair products

Grow Gorgeous is a brand that I first tried around 3 years ago when I struggling with hair thinning and growth due to being on large amounts of medication for almost 2 years. It is a science backed brand aimed at encouraging growth, density and better conditioned hair. Their original Hair Growth Serum was the first product I bought and it impressed me so much that I went on to repurchase it a few times. Since then, they have expanded their range and I have been lucky enough to try several more products from the brand and I want to tell you about my favourites from the brand today.

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exfoliator, Full Bodied Volumising, Grow Gorgeous, Grow Gorgeous Scalp Detox, Hair Density, hair growth, Hair Growth Serum, Haircare, Nutrients, review, serum, shampoo, Supplements

Huda Beauty Desert Dusk Palette - worth the price?

I probably didn't need it but I caved and bought the Huda Beauty Desert Dusk Palette as soon as it was released! I didn't buy her previous palette release because I felt that it was too similar to Anastasia Beverly Hills Modern Renaissance palette to justify owning both and there were a lot of mixed reviews. Also, at £56 these are not inexpensive palettes but I threw caution to the wind and just placed my order, hoping for the best! I've had it for around 2 weeks now and have had a good play with the shadows so am ready to share my thoughts. As with my Charlotte Tilbury Instant Eye Palette review, I apologise for the lack of swatches - I still only have full power in one of my arms, which makes taking swatch photos difficult, however I will link to my friend Dorota's post where you can see swatches. Also, if you struggle to get even swatches, take a look at my friend Alli's site here which will make all of your swatch dreams come true. (How many times can I say swatch? Too many is the answer!)

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Cult Beauty, Desert Dusk Palette, eye shadow, Eye Shadow palette, Huda Beauty, review

Charlotte Tilbury Instant Eye Palette - do you need it?

If you have read my blog for any amount of time, you will know that I am a huge fan of Charlotte Tilbury - the lady herself and her products. (See Brand Focus post here.) I love the whole aesthetic of the brand and the quality of the products - I know the price point is high but this is a luxury brand and the prices are on a par with YSL, Dior etc yet still a lot less expensive than Tom Ford. I bought some products from her recent Hollywood range (review here) but the product I was most excited about was her Instant Eye Palette, which is due to be released this Thursday, but my husband kindly treated me to it when it was in a 24 hour presale last month. I have mixed thoughts on it and want to share them with you today.

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Charlotte Tilbury, eyeshadow, Eyeshadow palette, Instant Eye Palette, review

Empties & speedy reviews #38 featuring Grow Gorgeous, Omorovicza, Oskia and more!

It's empties time again and like the previous few months, I have a lot of skincare favourites here. I've been making a concerted effort to use products that are already open before moving on to something new and it has paid off over the last few months. Like my previous post, I am going to divide this into categories of already repurchased, will repurchase at some point and probably wont bother repurchasing so let's get started!

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Beautyblender, Bio-Extracts, Champneys, Decleor, Dr Botanicals, Empties, Grow Gorgeous, Hydra Melting Cleanser, John Frieda, Omorovicza, Oskia, Pestle & Mortar, skincare, Super 16 Serum, Therapie

The new & improved Clarins Double Serum

Clarins Double Serum is by no means a new product, in fact it has been around since 1985, however this summer they released an updated and improved edition of this serum, which is packed with even more anti-ageing and beneficial ingredients. I have been using it for the past month and I want to share my thoughts on it with you today.

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clarins, Clarins Double Serum, review, serum, skincare

Seasonal switch up: makeup picks featuring Charlotte Tilbury, Wet N Wild, Nars and more!

It feels strange to me to be switching my makeup up for the change in season because I'm only a week back from my holiday and still pretty tanned (hoping it will last for another few weeks at least because of Lancaster Tan Maximiser Aftersun - it really works!), but as much as I would love Summer to stick around, the reality is that Autumn is here and therefore my wardrobe, makeup and nail picks will have to change accordingly. Today I want to share some products that I will be reaching for most often over the coming months.

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Autumn, Chanel, Charlotte Tilbury, Dolce Vita, MAC, Naked Heat Palette, Nars Audacious, Rebellious, Urban Decay, vitalumiere aqua, Wet N Wild

Divine by Name, Divine by Nature: L'Occitane Immortelle Divine Cleansing Balm

It's no secret that my preferred method cleansing is using a balm and I must have tried almost every brand out there and I have my few favourites that I have been using consistently as my skin freaks out if I chop & change products too often, but every so often, a product will come along that will knock my socks off and makeup it into my regular lineup - L'Occitane Immortelle Divine Cleansing Balm is one of those products. 

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Balm Cleanser, Cleanser, Immortelle Divine Cleansing Balm, L'occitane, review, skincare

REVIEW: Molton Brown Russian Leather EDT

The latest addition to Molton Brown's collections is a masculine one in the form of Russian Leather. In the range, there is a shower gel, single wick candle, 3 wick candle and an Eau De Toilette, which I am sharing my thoughts on today.

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EDT, Fragrance, Molton Brown, review, Russian Leather

Hair oils to protect, strengthen and add shine!

Oils are a huge part of my beauty routine - in skincare, body care and hair care because I'm basically as dry as the Sahara from head to toe and oils help to combat that, adding some much need moisture back in. I have used a lot of hair oils over the years and found some to be too heavy, leaving my hair looking lank and it would need to be washed more frequently. Thankfully, I am now at the point where I have a number of oils on the go that I love and want to share them with you today.

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cruelty free, Grow Gorgeous, Hair Oil, Haircare, Moroccanoil, Ouai, Ouai Rose Hair & Body Oil, Playa, review

The Gift With Purchase that is a Gift With Purpose: Clarins FEED

We all love a good Gift With Purchase but Clarins have gone one step further to offer us a Gift With Purpose until September 30th. FEED was founded in 2007 by Lauren Bush Lauren with the aim of providing nutritious meals for children in developing countries. In 2011, Clarins partnered with the charity and, to date, over 15 million meals have been provided. The 2017 goal is to provide 4 million nutritious meals for children and Clarins have made it very easy for us to help FEED achieve this goal. Until next Saturday (September 30th), with every two Clarins purchases (one to be skincare), we will receive a GWP and we will be providing 10 school meals for children in developing countries so not only will the products give us a glow, but knowing that we are making a difference to a child's life is also bound to make us both look and feel better!

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clarins, Gentle Refiner Exfoliating Cream, Gift With Purchase, Gift With Purpose, GWP, Hand & Nail Treatment, Moisture Rich Body Lotion, Relax Bath & Shower Concentrate, skincare, SOS Hydra Mask

Liquid highlighters I'm currently loving featuring Cover Fx, Marc Jacobs & more!

I've always loved wearing highlighter but more recently I have become obsessed with liquid highlighters because they suit my dry skin really well. It actually all started with the really cute sample of Cover Fx Enhancer Drops in the shade Moonlight. These drops weren't really on my radar prior to this sample being available from SpaceNK because I wrongly assumed that they would be too metallic on my skin but I am now absolutely obsessed with them. 

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Charlotte Tilbury, Cover Fx, Dew Drops Coconut Gel Highlighter, Enhancer Drops, Highlighter, Hollywood Beauty Light Wand, Liquid Highlighter, Marc Jacobs, review, Tarte

My holiday skincare picks featuring Omorovicza, Clarins, Sarah Chapman & more!

I am going on holiday today - in fact, when this goes live, I will be on a plane on my way to Majorca for 11 nights with my husband! I haven't been there since 2007 but I have good memories from that holiday and I'm hoping this one will be even better - can't be much worse than our holiday in June when we went to Lanzarote where I became very ill and it was a bit of a nightmare! Fingers crossed for a better one this time! I showed you my holiday makeup picks last time around and I'm bringing pretty much the same products again so instead, I thought I'd show you the skincare products I am bringing. I went through my sample and mini product stash and have chosen my favourites because I still like to maintain my skincare routine as much as possible when I'm away.

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Clarins Eye Contour Balm, Fresh Soy Cleanser, Goddess Skin Clay Mask, Illuminating Moisturiser, Omorovicza, Queen of Hungary Mist, Rejuvenating Night Cream, skincare, Skinesis Age Repair Serum, Tatcha

Some Charlotte Tilbury purchases & initial thoughts

It's a while since I made some Charlotte Tilbury purchases even though I always have a CT wishlist as long as my arm. Although I have quite a few products (see brand focus post here), I basically want to try everything and when I saw that she was releasing a new Hollywood range of products, I knew I would have to place an order. I also have my eye on her new Instant Eye Palette but that won't be released until later this year, as far as I am aware.

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Airbrush Flawless Finish Powder Medium, Blush Hot Love, Charlotte Tilbury, Eyes to Mesmerise Veruschka, Haul, Hollywood Beauty Light Wand, Hollywood Contour Wand, Hollywood Lips Rising Star

Brand Focus #9: Sarah Chapman Skinesis

I thought it was about time that I did another skincare brand focus post because this category has been dominated by makeup brands for the past few months (check them out here). The brand I am focusing on is Sarah Chapman Skinesis, which is a luxury British brand whose aim is to create products that will give radiant, healthy, glowing skin. To find out more about Sarah who is the name behind the brand, see Fleur's video here. As with all of my other brand focus posts, this is not sponsored and I bought all of the products myself.

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3D Moisture Infusion, Age Repair Serum, Anti-ageing, Brand Focus, Facialift, Intense Hydrating Booster, Morning Facial, Overnight Facial, review, skincare, Skinesis, Ultimate Cleanse, Ultra Recovery Booster