Molton Brown Bizarre Brandy Collection

Three festive posts in a row! Don't worry, regular beauty posts will resume tomorrow but it's just an exciting time of year with so many new releases and the Molton Brown Christmas collection always grabs my attention! This year, the range is Bizarre Brandy and it's based around the party scene of 1920s London when The Bright Young Things were the 'It People and social influencers' of the era. They were known for their parties and the drink of choice was the Sidecar cocktails which serves as inspiration for the notes in this line as they were comprised of cognac, lemon and orange liqueur. 

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Molton Brown Bizarre Brandy Collection

L'Occitane festive bath and body releases

It's very hard to beat L'Occitane when it comes to festive packaging! They just seem to get it right time and time again and this year is no exception with jewel tones and decorative accents, which are nature themed this year to reflect the brand's commitment to reducing waste.  I will be featuring some of the gift sets in my Christmas Gift Guides next month but today, I wanted to share some products from the limited edition festive collections.

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L'Occitane festive bath and body releases, L'Occitane Festive Garden Shower Foam, L'Occitane Honey Harvest Hand Cream, L'Occitane Limited Edition Shea Ultra Rich Body Cream

The new Pixi Pretties Makeup Collection

You will probably have seen the new Pixi Pretties collection all over Instagram over the past few weeks. Pixi certainly know how to do PR packages! Once again, they have teamed up with some influencers to release a variety of makeup products, which I've been using and I want to share my thoughts with you today. Pixi offers really great quality products at affordable prices, in both skincare and makeup so if you have yet to try anything from the brand, this range might be a good place to start!

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Pixi, Pixi From Head to Toe Endless Shade Stick, Pixi From Head to Toe Glow-y Powder, Pixi Heart Defensor Eye <3 Palette, Pixi Pretties, Pixi x Chloe Morello

Antipodes skincare giveaway!

Regular readers will know that I am a big fan of Antipodes skincare - see Brand Focus post here. I was recently sent two products from the brand that I hadn't tried before but they both contain shea butter, which doesn't suit my skin so I thought that I'd do a giveaway so that one of my lovely readers will have the chance to try the brand for themselves! One of you will win a Grapeseed Butter Cleanser and a Vanilla Pod Day Cream. 

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Antipodes, Giveaway

3 treats for 3 budgets

It's almost payday again so I'm back with my monthly post with 3 great products for 3 budgets. This will probably be the last of these posts for the year as next month, I'll be focusing on gift guides and Black Friday. I honestly cannot believe that it's almost the end of October and that I am already planning festive content! Where has this year gone? Anyway, on to the products!

Oh and a quick reminder to enter my Benefit Brow Zings Pro Palette giveaway here. It ends at midnight tonight!

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3 treats for 3 budgets, Beuti Sleep Elixir, Foreo Luna 3, MOA Fortifying Green Bath Potion

Morphe base products review

Morphe is Cult Beauty's Brand Of The Month for October, which means there is free international shipping on all Morphe products. There is also a free eye primer set with every order over £40 this month. I love when there is free shipping on budget brands because if you have to pay shipping every time you buy a budget product, it doesn't really feel like a bargain. Over the last 12-18 months, I've been trying various products from the brand and I really rate the eyeshadows and the Continuous Setting Mist. I was recently sent a bundle of Morphe base products to try to coincide with the launch of the Fluidity Full Coverage Foundation on Cult Beauty. Usually, I would test for a month or so before writing about products but if I wait that long, the free shipping offer would be over as it is only available until midnight on the 31st so I wanted to let you know my thoughts sooner rather than later so that you can buy if you like the sound of the products.

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Cult Beauty Brand of The Month, Morphe, Morphe Finishing powder, Morphe Fluidity Full Coverage Foundation, Morphe Foundation Primer, Morphe Liquid Full Coverage Concealer

Dermalogica Phyto-Nature Firming Serum

As a huge fan of Dermalogica, I am always excited by their new releases but especially when it's a serum. When it comes to skincare, I'm a big believer in investing in serums more than any other product as they penetrate the skin more deeply than any moisturiser will and will work harder than other products in your routine. Bare that in mind when reading this review as the Phyto-Nature Firming Serum is pricey! 

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Dermalogica Phyto-Nature Firming Serum review

Clarins x The Kooples Lip Comfort Oil

You might think that a Clarins and The Kooples collaboration is a bit random but it's actually a good match as they are both French brands and they both epitomise sophisticated French chic style. This is a limited edition collaboration so if you are a fan of either brand (or especially, both) or if you like to collect limited edition beauty releases, you are going to love these lip oils. 

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Clarins x The Kooples Lip Comfort Oil

Current makeup favourites...

As I'm sure you've noticed, I don't do monthly favourite posts these days but every so often, I'll share some products that I am currently loving and that are consistent in my routine. Today, it's all about makeup favourites. As you can see from the photo above, there are quite a few well loved products in this post!

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Anastasia Beverly Hills Luminous Foundation, Benefit Brow Zings Pro Palette, Charlotte Tilbury Magic Away Concealer, Hourglass Scattered Light Shadow Burnish, MAC Springsheen, MAC Warm Soul

Skincare products that will help you achieve a glow in Autumn

When the season changes, I always like to switch up my skincare - not completely, but I'll always make some changes. Now that it's Autumn and the central heating is on, my skin is feeling a little parched and looking a little dull. The temperatures have yet to drop into single figures (hopefully it will stay that way for a few weeks more!) but I have noticed that I need to up my game to make sure my skin is glowing and I want to share some additions to my regime with you today.

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Autumn Skincare, Dr Dennis Gross Alpha Beta Exfoliating Moisturiser, Kate Somerville Exfolikate Glow Moisturiser, Naya Everyday Glow Serum, Pixi Vitamin C Lotion, Pixi Vitamin C Serum

Four brilliant exfoliating toners

There is no doubt that chemical exfoliators and acids, in general, really made a big difference to my skin when I introduced them to my routine around 6 years ago. Back then, there weren't very many on the market and it was tricky to get hold of Pixi Glow Tonic as it wasn't as freely available as it is today. Thankfully, things have changed and most brands now offer a liquid/chemical alternative to the traditional face scrub. Using an acid toner daily is an easy way to achieve fresh, glowing skin and to prevent clogged pores.  If you are new to acids, you might find the idea a bit daunting but I promise that your face won't resemble Samantha's when she had her chemical peel in Sex & The City! Start gently and work your way up to frequent use and higher strengths and you will see a positive change in your skin. Today I am sharing four of my favourite liquid exfoliants with you.

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acid toner, Emma Hardie Exfoliating Brightening Tonic Review, Exfoliating toner, Omorovicza Silver Saviour Tonic, Paula's Choice Skin Perfecting 2% BHA Liquid Exfoliant, Pixi Glow Tonic

Why you need to use some Niacinamide in your daily routine

Niacinamide/Vitamin B3 - do you use it daily? No matter your skin type or issue,  it's an ingredient that will most probably help yet it's quite an unsung hero! Everyone raves about the benefits of retinol, vitamin C and hyaluronic acid (with great reason) but I promise that adding some niacinamide to your routine will reap rewards. I also want to share my two favourite products with you.

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Alpha-H Vitamin B, Niacinamide, Paula's Choice 10% Niacinamide Booster, skincare

Fenty Pro Filt'r Hydrating Longwear Foundation - worth the hype?

Two years ago, I reviewed the original Fenty Pro Filt'r foundation here. In short, it was a lot of hard work to make it look good on my dry skin so I passed it on to a friend who has combination skin. I was surprised that it took two years to release a second foundation but it's better to take the time to perfect a product than just keep churning out releases, which is what a lot of other brands are doing at the moment. When I heard that a hydrating version of  Pro Filt'r Longwear Foundation was being launched,  I was in two minds about buying it. Lord knows, I don't really need any more foundations but the description of a natural finish, suitable for dry skin kinda sucked me in - what can I say, I'm weak?! I've been putting it to the test and want to share my thoughts. 

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Fenty Pro Filtr Hydrating Longwear Foundation - worth the hype?

REVIEW & GIVEAWAY: Benefit Brow Zings Pro Palette

If there is one thing that Benefit does well, it's brow products! They have a variety of pencils, powders, gels and pomades to cater for all preferences. Recently, they launched their new Brow Zings Pro Palette and I was kindly sent two so I thought I'd review the one that I thought would suit me best and give the other one away to one of my lovely readers!

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Benefit Brow Zings Pro Palette Review, Giveaway

New to or nervous about retinol? Try Oskia Retinoid Sleep Serum Level 1

Retinol really is a wonder ingredient in skincare and I noticed a huge difference in my skin when I introduced it into my regime, in terms of texture and visibility of fine lines.  I recommend it to so many people and some wince as they just have visions of their face falling off (a bit extreme but you know what I mean!) but I do understand the hesitation. My advice is always to start gently, especially if you have sensitive/reactive skin and the perfect introductory product is Oskia Retinoid Sleep Serum Level 1 - 0.2%, which I want to share my thoughts on today.

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Oskia Retinoid Sleep Serum Level 1 Review

4 great powders for those with dry skin

It took years for me to find a powder that actually liked because with having dry skin, most just aged my skin, settled into fine lines and generally looked awful. Instead, I just used setting sprays to keep my makeup in place That being said, the right powder can give the skin a very polished look so it's worth persevering to find the perfect powder for you. I have four options that are perfect if you have Sahara-like skin like I do.

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By Terry Hyaluronic Hydra powder, Charlotte Tilbury Airbrush Powder Vs Genius Magic Powder, Hourglass Powder review, Powders for those with dry skin

Natasha Denona Metropolis Palette - worth the price?

At the beginning of the year, I decided to be much more mindful of my spending - makeup purchases, in particular. Why? Simply, because I only have one face and I can't use all of the products I already own so adding lots more to my stash is a waste of money. For the most part, I've done really well! I am a self-confessed eyeshadow palette addict but I have so many that I couldn't justify buying more unless they were really special. The Natasha Denona Metropolis palette is my second (and probably last) eyeshadow purchase of the year. This is a limited edition palette, which is probably part of the reason why I couldn't resist buying it (also, it's a beauty!). My other palette purchase was also limited edition (from Inglot in this post) and I'm pretty proud of the fact that I've resisted so many releases this year. That being said, this is a pricey piece of makeup and I'm sure a lot of people will think I am mad and would prefer to buy more products at a reasonable price than just one expensive item and that's understandable. To each their own and all that! Now that I've had the palette for almost a month and have had plenty of time to play with it, I wanted to share my thoughts and let you know if I think it's worth the price/hype. If you are interested in buying, the Cult Beauty waitlist is now open.

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Natasha Denona Metropolis Palette - worth the hype/price?, Natasha Denona Metropolis Palette Review & Swatches

Concealing with bareMinerals

For some reason (and I really don't know why), bareMinerals is a brand that I have tried very little from. I dabbled in some foundations around 3/4 years ago and I love their Good Hydrations Silky Face Primer but I've tried little more than that. When I was browsing Sephora at the end of August, I noticed that the barePro 16 Hour Full Coverage Concealer and  bareSkin Complete Coverage Serum Concealer were reduced to $10 each. It reminded me that I had used the serum concealer a few years ago and really liked it and I had heard good things about the barePro so I thought I'd snap them both up - at that price, it would be rude not to! 

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bareMinerals, bareMinerals barePro 16 Hour Full Coverage Concealer, bareMinerals bareSkin Complete Coverage Serum Concealer

Omorovicza Silver skincare range review

Regular readers will know that Omorovicza is one of my absolute favourite skincare brands (definitely in my top three) and every time they release a new product, I want to try it even if it might not be actually aimed at my skin type! I have dry, textured and quite reactive skin but I have never had a negative reaction to any products from this brand. All products contain their patented Healing Concentrate and this really does help to soothe the skin and reduce inflammation. Last year, I reviewed their Silver Skin Saviour Mask here and in recent months, two new products were added to the Silver line and I want to share my thoughts on them with you today. Those with oily, combination or blemish-prone skin will love this range.

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Omorovicza, Omorovicza Silver Saviour Lotion, Omorovicza Silver Saviour Mask, Omorovicza Silver Saviour Tonic