Inject Festive Cheer With Your Lips♥

Personally, red lips are an essential for the festive period. There's just something about them that are perfect for Christmas. Although I do like to wear a red lip all year round, there's something special about wearing them. I have four favourites which I like to alternate between, and decided that I would share them for all my fellow red lip lovers out there. And funnily enough, they're all matte. 

Lip Duals Ravishing Red* - If you can cast your mind back a few weeks ago, you will remember me raving about this lipstick (find the post here). As I reviewed it recently, I'm not going to ramble on too much, just briefly. It's a dual lipstick, meaning it comes with a lipstick and a lipgloss which turns the lipstick into a lipstain. It's a matte red but looks beautiful on the lips, and if you have dry lips, it won't cling to the dry patches. It lasts a lifetime on your lips and looks beautiful with so many different makeup looks, and skin tones.

MAC Charlotte Olympia lipstick in Starlett Scarlet - another much loved matte lipstick reviewed not all that long again (read post here). It's a slightly different formula to the previous matte - I feel it's a tad more drying, but nothing a layer of lipbalm underneath can't solve. It's a striking red which is as red as Rudolph's nose. You are almost guaranteed to spread the Christmas cheer. An extra bonus I have picked up on by wearing this is that it makes your teeth appear whiter due to the undertones.

Urban Decay Gwen Stefani lipstick in 716* - This is a slightly darker red to the others. It particularly suits darker eye looks, such as winged eyeliner. I feel it is a bit more on the drying side, but it does come with extremely gorgeous packaging which is a special added extra. The staying power is good, but for eating, it does have the tendency to smudge a tad, so beware! It looks especially good if used with a lip liner to make it appear "sharper". I reckon that this would suit darker skin tone so well.

Revlon Colorstay Ultimate Suede lipstick in Trendsetter - This has been a much loved red lipstick of mine for the longest time ever. Now my red lipstick stash has increased, I feel it doesn't receive the same sort of love as it previously did, but despite this, I still adore it. It's exceptionally creamy, but dries to a matte finish. It's more of a vibrant red in comparison to the other reds mentioned, and I think this is why I like it so much. Even wore with the simplest of makeup, it somehow manages to compliment the look really well.

I don't think I could pick a favourite out of the four, I really love them all for different reasons. At this current moment, I'm considering wearing a red lip for Christmas Day, but I haven't quite decided which one. Oh the choices are endless.

What are your favourite Christmas time reds?

An Ideal Gift For The Beauty Lovers♥*

Buying Christmas presents can be tricky; anyone can admit that. Every year, there is someone who is hard to buy for, no matter how hard you think, it just always seems that there are no gifts available. Have you got a beauty lover in your life? Then, look no further than the No7 Luxe In A Box Glamour Nudes*.

How beautifully packaged and presented is the gift though? It just looks beautiful and luxurious, and is sure to make an ideal gift! I know for sure if I were to open this on Christmas Day, I'd be delighted! It's a rather "pink" and girly based product, so if you know someone who adores pink and makeup, it's the most perfect gift ever.

Both the blush and gloss are almost the same shade of pink, but no complaints because it's gorgeous! The blush is super natural but brings together a whole makeup look. It won't leave you with Barbie pink cheeks either so no worries about a makeup malfunction. The lipgloss is a light pink shade which is almost a your lips but better. It isn't sticky which for me, is always a bonus. It will complete any makeup look, regardless of how simple or bold it is.

I know I will get plenty of use of the blush during the Spring and Summer, but I reckon I could even use it during the Winter. It would suit a wide variety of skin tones too, and would look beautiful with various makeup looks. What tops it off for me is that it comes with a blush brush, and it is the perfect shape and size for the apples of your cheeks. Not to mention how unbelievably soft it is too!

As you can see, the eyeshadow palette has some beautiful shades to offer, all of which are rather "soft" shades. They are extremely soft and can easily create a simple yet fresh look. I would even suggest buying the box just for the palette to be honest with you. I reckon that you can create more looks than you think, depending on your preference. It is sure to compliment various eye colours too.

So if you're struggling to pick the perfect makeup set for the beauty lover, or have a Secret Santa gift to buy, opt for this gift set. It is sure to brighten up anyone's face when they unwrap the paper, as it's literally stunning, and I love each of the products. And yes, the products are just as beautiful themselves as they look in the photos, they really are just that photogenic!

*PR Samples

Chocolate For The Eyes?♥

Shock horror: I love chocolate. Not only chocolate, but makeup, ideally, eyeshadow palettes. Combining the two? My perfect combination. When I was shopping in Superdrug, I may have accidentally fell across the Makeup Revolution stand, then along to the I Heart Makeup stand. I was ooh-ing and ahh-ing at both stands, before settling for the I Heart Chocolate palette. I could easily have bought the whole collection but somehow, my inner makeup soul didn't make me do it.

The packaging reminds me of the Too Faced chocolate bar, which retails for around £40, yet this has a low cost price of just £7.99. The illusion of a chocolate bar is the clear running theme, with the end looking like melted chocolate. Even though it's plastic, I find it to be quite sturdy and secure; the clip is actually impressively good.

Thankfully, it comes with a large, full-sized mirror which would be efficient if on the go. Taking a look at the shadows, you can see there's a wide mixture of colours. Ranging from golds to browns, to khakis to berries, a whole lot of looks can be created using just this one palette. As a being a dupe for the Too Faced palette, there is also a hint of a chocolate scent. Although this is a nice added extra, and it does remind me of chocolate, I can't help but think of plastic chocolate - sorry!

A close up just to appreciate the gorgeous colours. As you can most likely observe, I'm a keen fan of the gold shades. Not only do I like them because they're pretty, but being blessed with blue eyes (yaayy), gold seems to complement them really well. The palette has a mixture of mattes and shimmers. I sometimes stick with shimmer shades on my lids with matte colours in my crease. You can create either a subtle yet natural look or a bold and daring look using just this palette.

Overall, for £7.99, in my opinion, this palette is a bargain. With all the possible looks that can be created, I find myself reaching for this palette regularly. Having all the gorgeous shades means the biggest issue I have is choosing which colours to use! I can guarantee I now wish I picked up the other palettes in the collection!

Have you tried the I Heart Chocolate palette range? Do you recommend any other palettes from I Heart Makeup?

Lancôme L'Absolu Rouge Lipsticks♥*

Is there anything more exciting than new lipsticks? It's the whole excitement of seeing the packaging (again for the 100th time), and trying it out on your lips, none of that hand swatching nonsense! I hadn't heard much about the new Lancôme L'Absolu Rouge Lipsticks* until they landed on my door step. I could wait to see their beauty!

 Classy but minimalistic. The sleek black packaging gives an elegant look and the overall aesthetic looks stunning and pleasing in a way. They aren't the typical "twisty cap" lipsticks - instead, it's almost in a button form. Simply, you press the top of the lipstick and the bottom pops out. I like this concept because it means you won't have those pesty lipstick stains all over your bag from the lid falling off. 

Bouquet Final* - My first impression on this lipstick was wow. It's so bright and vibrant, yet beautiful. As this one is a sheer formula, I was expecting there to be a light wash of colour, however, it definitely has more pay off and pigment than expected. It feels smooth whilst applying on to your lips, and is quite easy to apply in fact. With it being more on the bold side, you'd expect it to be messy to apply, but you don't need a lip liner or anything. It has a gorgeous and glossy finish, and it looks just as it does in the bullet whilst on the lips.

Caprice* - Oh, red lips, how I adore you. How many do I have in my collection now? Clearly not enough, of course. I can't fault this one though, it's a stunner. How classy does it look? Much like the previous lipstick, it has a beautiful, glossy finish. Even though it's a red, I don't feel it's such a bold and statement red - I would class this one as more of an everyday red lipstick - but it still pulls together any makeup look.

These lipsticks are like little tubes of luxury. With their stunning packaging and beautiful shade range, what isn't there to like? They look magnificent sitting in my makeup collection; my lipstick holder to be precise. They are so easy to wear on the lips: they are so light weight and honestly doesn't even feel like I'm wearing a lipstick. They have the typical lipstick smell - sweet but not sickly. I am happy to announce that they aren't sticky at all either, always a bonus! However, the only downfall I have occurred is that the staying power isn't amazing. It lasts a few hours but, it doesn't last much after eating: there is a slight trace of lipstick left behind but apart from that, nothing much. Don't let this put you off though, because, most lipsticks are like this.

I really do like these lipsticks. I like to throw these in my bag for on the go because I know I won't end up with lipstick all over my bag, and I know the application is simple and I don't need to be too precise whilst applying.

Have you tried these L'absolu Rouge lipsticks? What shades have you got?

*PR Samples

The Lip Stains You Need♥*

I've been experimenting more with all the makeup I own, as I'm currently on a makeup ban until the start of 2017 (I'm a month into the ban and not bought any!), and I've been trying new Autumnal makeup. When Leighton Denny Boutique got in touch about trying their Lip Duals*, I jumped at the chance as they were lip stains, and what better than trying some lip stains for A/W?!

Ravishing Red* - When asked at which shades I would like, I instantly jumped for a red, especially now we're approaching Winter. I thought that a red lip stain would be ever so festive of me, and you just cannot go wrong, can you? The shade itself is just dreamy, I mean, look at how rich and deep the red is. It just calls my name. I, personally, love wearing reds as I feel empowering, and whilst wearing this, I feel like I own the world. Any time I wear this lipstick, I prefer to wear it with winged liner - it looks amazing paired together! Even wearing minimal makeup, it can completely spice up your makeup and change up how it looks. I just love it.

Hot For Chocolate* - I chose this colour for one of two reasons. The first one being that it was completely out of my comfort zone - I don't own any browns never mind wear any - and secondly, I loved the name, I thought it was too cute and reminded me of Christmas and Winter. Anyway, I have decided that this is one of my new favourite lip products I own. I wasn't quite sure how I'd feel about it on my skin tone considering I'm quite pale, however, somehow, I don't think it looks all that bad! And the best thing? It literally goes with every single makeup look you do. Simple makeup? It looks gorgeous. Bold makeup? It looks gorgeous. It's just a beautiful colour and I cannot even explain how easy it is to wear on the lips!

What I liked the most was that they were double sided - a lipstick one on, a lip gloss/stain on the other the concept intrigued me. The lipstick itself is extremely creamy and glides on like a dream - not drying or harsh in any way, shape or form. The gloss itself feels "wet" at first, however, after about one or two minutes, it dries, and this helps prolong the time of wear. None of them feel drying to wear, heavy or uncomfortable on the lips at any point - I often forget I'm even wearing anything on my lips! I receive multiple compliments whilst wearing each of the lip colours. A bonus? They last on the lips for ages, and by that, I honestly mean hours - they remain perfect after eating, and there are still traces of the product on my lips after removing with makeup remover!

Some swatches for you all!

Considering I hadn't heard much about these lip stains, I was still intrigued to try them out nonetheless. I don't think I can recommend these enough; you need them in your makeup collection. I haven't really came across many reviews on these lip stains, but honestly, they deserve the hype! Looking online at them now, I realise there are so many other beautiful shades I would love to try, and there is a vast range of colours for different skin tones, and something that everyone will like!

Have you tried these lip stains?

*PR Samples

Gel Nails At Home♥*

I cannot seem to find any top coat that helps seal my nail polish and help prevent any chips. I just can't. Either it makes it go too thick and it peels off, or it just encourages it to chip. Then came along SensatioNail. Their much raved about Polish to Gel Starter Kit* popped through my letter box not that long ago, and as you could imagine, I was an eager beaver to try it out.

Inside came an LED lamp, polish to gel transformer, gel cleanser, gel primer, a mixing pot, manicure stick, wipes and a double sided nail buffer. There are two different methods; a mixing methods (by far messier) or simple painting method. Personally, I always op for the option of painting my nails, apply the polish to gel transformer and drying them with the LED lamp, then the gel cleanser.

I do like the glossy finish it leaves on my nails, and I do like the fact that it helps prolong the length of time my nail polish lasts on my nails, however, there's one negative which annoys me. It is a complete nightmare to remove. I used a nail polish remover from Superdrug which is a acetone formula, yet it removed basically nothing. I felt I was scrubbing my nails and it wasn't removing any nail polish. My cousin even gave me a bottle of pure acetone which removed the nail polish once but next time I tried it, same struggle. (If anyone knows of anything which helps to remove the polish, hola at me!)

Besides the hassle of removing it, I am a fan of this set. The extra few minutes it takes to do the extra steps is worth it. I have salon worthy nails but from the comfort of my own home!

Have you tried SensatioNail? How was your experience?

*PR Sample

Freedom Makeup "Z Palette"♥

I had wanted a z-palette for as long as I can remember so that I can store some of my favourite eyeshadows within the one palette without having to search through multiple palettes. That was all until I stumbled upon the Freedom Makeup London Pro Artist Pro HD Pro Empty Palette whilst doing a spot of online browsing one day. For £5, I snapped up the palette, along with a few of their pans.

As you can see, I have six pans in the palette already and there is still a relatively large space left. The palette is magnetic, and the pans stick to it no problem without moving all that much. I am delighted that it comes with a large sized mirror considering the price of it, so is brilliant for travelling and generally on the go.

Freedom Makeup London Pro Artist HD Pro Refills Pro - Highlight 01 - typical Jasmine couldn't buy some makeup without throwing in a cheeky highlight, could she? I love trying out new highlights so decided to try out this one. Although it's pigmented to an extend, it isn't as blinding as some of my other highlighters (Mary Lou, I'm calling on you), but I do still love it nonetheless. It doesn't have a chalky feel to it either, I would definitely say it's more on the buttery side.

Freedom Makeup London Pro Artist HD Pro Refills Pro - Banana 01 - I haven't ever owned a banana powder, but I felt it was about time I did. Everyone seems to rave about them, so I gave the Freedom Makeup one a shot. Wow, holy pigment for sure - I had high expectations for this but it kind of blew me away. I use it to set my concealer under my eyes as well as highlight that area, and I think it's only fair to say that it does work really well.

Freedom Makeup London Pro Artist HD Pro Refills Pro Eyeshadow - Colour 05 (Purple) - I was really stepping out of my comfort zone whilst ordering this one. I own absolutely nothing like it and can we appreciate how gorgeous it truly is? I was a tad intimidated to use it because it's quite a striking colour, but it's beautiful. It's glittery and pigmented and everything you would expect. It looks gorgeous paired with black eyeshadow in the outer corner and winged liner.

Freedom Makeup London Pro Artist HD Pro Refills Pro Eyeshadow - Shimmer 02 (Gold) - one of my beloved golds has hit major pans, but it isn't available separately, so when I saw this one online, I knew I had to give it a go. Although it is slightly different to my beloved one, I still adore this one. It's just a perfect, all-over-the-lid gold. Can't fault a good gold shade, can you?

 

Freedom Makeup London Pro Artist HD Pro Refills Pro Eyeshadow - Colour 10 (Brown) - Brown and gold shadows are certainly my safe bets, so no surprises here, I got another brown. It's quite a warm yet dark brown with glitter throughout, but, would be ideal for either all over the lid, or through the crease. Again, it's another stunning colour with a whole lotta pigment! Although it is more warm toned rather than cool toned, I reckon it would compliment many eye colours, and a variety of skin tones too.

Freedom Makeup London Pro Artist HD Pro Refills Pro Eyeshadow - Colour 09 (Red) - For some reason, this is the only matte shadow I got, and guess what? It isn't a gold or brown. It's a red. And I have been L O V I N G it, a lot. I've been popping it in my crease (no lid colour) and pairing it with winged liner, and I feel as though I can rule the world - quite literally empowering. Must I admit, I used FAR too much the first time I used it because I was gobsmacked at how pigmented it was.

With all the glitter shadows, you will be delighted to hear that there is little to no fallout and I couldn't be happier with that. The shadows aren't chalky at all, and are easy to blend too. For £2, I love the eyeshadow, and for £3, I would highly recommend the highlighter and banana powder.

Have you tried any Freedom Makeup pans? Any I should add to my (ever growing) collection?

Trying Katie Price's Beauty Range♥*

I didn't know until recently that Katie Price had her own beauty range. It seems that near enough everyone has their own beauty range (c'mon blogsallbeautyy, let's be next!) so when I was contacted to try the Katie Price* beauty range, I jumped at the chance - she has lots to offer, from makeup to skincare and much more!

Katie Price Face Mask* - I absolutely love trying new face masks! Anything that can help my skin or leave me with smooth skin is on to a winner. I was unsure what to expect with this face mask if I am honest. The consistency is on the thick yet creamy side, and felt as though it was quite similar to a moisturiser. Unexpected from it, when applied on the face (which goes on really smoothly!), it dries. I wasn't expecting that in the slightest. This mask leaves my skin feeling extremely soft, and not to mention how beautiful the mask smells!

Katie Price Makeup Remover* - I felt disloyal towards my Garnier Micellar Water using this as I absolutely adore it, but I felt it was time to venture out my comfort zone. It says shake well before use, so evidently, I did. I soon realised it was on the oil based side which I have no objections to - it would be perfect for dry skin! It removes my makeup really well, and doesn't leave me with sore eyes. The only thing is, after using, it does have the tendency of leaving an oily residue behind, but in all honesty, it doesn't bother me - I just wash my face.

Katie Price Nude Palette* - straight away, this palette reminded me of the Urban Decay Naked 3 palette with all the pink tones. The packaging is a sturdy metal tin, with nothing spectacular on it. An extra added bonus to this palette is the fact it comes with a proper brush. None of those stupid sponge applicators which go straight in the bin. The colours themselves are stunning. They are pretty pigmented too, however, do often have some fallout, but nothing a good ol' powder brush can't sort!

Katie Price Baked Bronzer in Golden Bronze* - perhaps I'm keeping my favourite product until last. It was love at first sight for this beautiful bronzer. I don't actually own that many bronzers so couldn't wait to do my makeup to try this out. I found out the hard way that it is indeed incredibly pigmented. Looking at it, it looks on the orange side ever so slightly, however, using a light hand, it doesn't look orange in the slightest. In fact, it just looks like you've been sunkissed and have a healthy bronzed look.

I have been pleasantly surprised by the Katie Price range, and do have to admit, I have enjoyed using each product themselves. I wasn't expecting miracles from these products (mainly because I hadn't heard much about them!) but I do love them, and want to try more products for sure!

Have you tried the Katie Price beauty range? Any products I should give a shot?

*PR Samples