Makeup | Christmas

Christmas day is always such an exciting day to do my makeup, I feel like I have to use every piece of makeup I got that day! I also got the Real Techniques Core Collection brushes which I was so excited about! So far I'm really liking them and I used them to create this look. 

I thought I would make a quick little post showing what makeup I was wearing this Christmas. 

Rimmel Fix & Perfect Pro primer (review HERE)

Benefit Stay Don't Stray eye primer

Max Factor Xperience Foundation in Raw Silk 45 (review HERE)

Collection 2000 Lasting Perfection concealer in Light 2

Stila Angel Whitening Powder in Shade B
Bloom Cosmetics Mineral Blusher in Rosie

Benefit Sha La Lovely brown eye shadow (for my brows)

Benefit She's So Jet Set Makeup Kit - They're Real mascara and Champagne please, Pretty in mink & Elegant espresso eyeshadows

Eylure Naturalite Lashes - Super Full 100*

2true Effortless Eyeliner in No1 Black

Topshop Lipstick in Oh La La

Barry M Lip gloss in Coral

As you can see I went for neutral eye shadows and nude lip with big lashes. I decided to wear a pair of Eylure Naturalite Lashes in Super Full 100. I only ever wear lashes on special occasions, and of course, this day was! I loved the length of these ones and they made my lashes look so much fuller. These lashes do come with an adhesive, which is okay but obviously not the best. They lasted a good amount of time and I think they really made my makeup look complete.

Hope you had a lovely Christmas!

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Merry Christmas ♥

Hello my lovely readers ♥

This is a little post to wish you a very merry Christmas and a happy new year!

I thank each and every one of you for sticking with me and helping my blog become what it has in this very short time. 2012 has been a great year for me and I'm so pleased I decided to make this little blog back in June. I have spoken with so many lovely people and been part of a few special things, I've loved every minute of it! You wouldn't believe the amount of times I have gone to make a blog or YouTube channel and completely chickened out because I thought no one would care what I had to say! I have been really overwhelmed at how well my little corner of the Internet turned out to be, and with every follower, comment, e-mail and tweet I receive, it just brings a smile to my face! 

 Being part of this blogging community is just such a nice thing to be. Every blogger I've spoken to is so sweet and easy to talk to, who knew that just chatting about makeup can be so much fun! It feels good to be part of something that I have been following for about 4 years now and would recommend anyone to join!

Thank you again to each and every one of you!

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Pretty Pink Lip | Lipstick Queen & DuWop Venom Gloss Review

Lipstick Queen Butterfly Ball in Fly £20*

DuWop Venom Gloss in Pink Champagne full size £20*

Lipstick Queen swatch | DuWop Venom Gloss swatch | Lipstick Queen & DuWop Venom Gloss together

I'm always on the look out for products that work together to create a perfect combination. I'm a huge fan of lipstick and slowly getting there with lip gloss, and I love finding a lipstick and gloss that compliment each other really well. I've recently been wearing this pretty lip look which I have created from two new products; a Lipstick Queen lipstick and a DuWop Venom Gloss lip gloss.

The Lipstick Queen lipstick is part of the Butterfly Ball collection and is in the colour Fly. This lipstick is a bright pink shade with glitter in. It also has a turquoise iridescence running through it, which gives it a beautiful shimmer and when on the lips, makes your teeth look brighter. I have definitely noticed this effect and think it's a lovely extra to a lipstick.
The formula of the lipstick is very moisturising as it has vitamin E and aloe vera in it. It glides on really easily as well for quick application. It's also quite a sheer lipstick (like a butterfly's wing), but the colour is definitely buildable for a more intense pink look. As the product is quite sheer, the staying power of the product isn't amazing, probably a couple of hours before you need a touch up.
I also love the purple packaging. It feels very sturdy and strong, so will last a long time. I love the simplicity of the product and how small it is, so it's perfect to throw in your handbag for touch ups throughout the day.

The DuWop Venom Gloss in Pink Champagne is a perfect match for the lipstick. It's a pretty pink colour with golden shimmers in it. The formula of this lip gloss is amazing. I haven't found it to be sticky at all and it's sheer enough to go over any lipstick, but gives it an extra hint of pink. I also love the spicy smell of this lip gloss and think it's perfect for this time of year.
The applicator of this product isn't the most expensive looking, but it is great for applying on the go. I also like the fact the tube is see-through so you easily know which colour you're picking out from your makeup bag.

Together these two lip products create a pretty, shimmery pink lip that I think is perfect for any time of year. 

Have you tried these lip products before?

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*HQhair | lookfantastic*

Instagram Photos

Lily was feeling poorly | Rainbow! | The rain looked so pretty that afternoon | Burning Yankee Candle's Sugared Vanilla | Putting up some decorations in my room | Had the log fire burning | Primark floral nail wraps post HERE | Our Christmas tree | Taking Paddy for a Winter walkies | Frosty flowers | Lily in front of the tree | Yankee Candle's Autumn Blooms in my new Christmas candle holder

Follow me on Instagram @amiehaffenden

Now it's getting colder, I love taking pictures of the frost, candles and of course anything Christmas related! I also think adding little light details to pictures at this time of year makes them look so sparkly and Christmasy! I use the iPhone app Picfx which has a lovely selection of lights, filters and textures to make your pictures look that extra pretty.

Hope everyone's had a lovely weekend and looking forward to the Christmas holidays!

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Winter Beauty Essentials

Winter is definitely the time of year when mine and many other people's hair and skin are at their worst. Frosty mornings, cold winds and the lack of sunlight can leave you feeling down but there are a few products I use to battle against all this!

♥ Rimmel Wake Me Up foundation in 100 Ivory - this is a new foundation I picked up recently from Wilkinsons. Lots of the Rimmel makeup was down to under £5 so I thought I would try this out after hearing some great reviews. At this time of year as my skin can start to feel dry and dull, but this foundation has a slight shimmer in to make you look more awake and give a glow to your face. It's brightened up my complexion and makes my skin look a lot better than it really is! It has SPF 15 in too which can protect your skin from the Winter sun rays. It also lasts a really long time, especially if you set it with a powder.

♥ Cath Kidston Hand Lotion in Cherry Blossom - I picked this up recently from TK Maxx for just £4.99 and thought it would be lovely to sit on my chest of drawers as a piece of decor. I wasn't expecting this to smell amazing and actually moisturise my hands, but it does! Really well in fact! The consistency is quite thick, so you only need a little pump. I'm not sure if they have this in a smaller size, but I would love to have one to pop in my bag to use it throughout the day!

♥ Pantene 12 Hour Night Therapy Oil Replacement for Dry/ Damaged hair - as well as the Winter cold being really damaging for my hair, I recently used the L'Oreal Wild Ombres to Ombre my hair and was quite worried my hair would get damaged from the bleach. I found this product in Poundland and thought I would give it a go. This is amazing stuff! I apply it every night before I wash my hair (so about 2/3 times a week) and once I have washed my hair the next morning, it's super smooth! My hair doesn't go as frizzy after it's dry and is in such good condition compared to before I was using it. If you see this in your Poundland, definitely pick it up! It's really good and such a bargain!

♥ Blistex Relief Cream - this is my all time favourite lip therapy cream. It has ingredients in that will help cold sores, sore, cracked and chapped lips. I use this when ever my lips feel sore or need some moisture and leaves them in great condition. Definitely worth keeping in your makeup bag.

♥ Soap & Glory The Righteous Butter - everyone needs to use a body lotion in the Winter time as skin can get very dry. I love using this body butter on my elbows and knees as this is where they get the driest skin. I have also been using a sample of the L'Occitane Shea Butter Ultra Rich Body Lotion which I would really recommend too!

♥ Re-Gen Cream - this is my new skin care favourite! I read a review of this on Zoella's blog ages ago and finally found it in my local Asda. This cream basically has the same ingredients as Bio-Oil, but the great thing is you can use it on your face! It has reduced my pigmentation marks, blemishes and has left my skin feeling really soft and moisturised! I use it twice a day, everyday and noticed the results so quick. I will probably do a full review of this once I've tried it out for longer, but at the moment I love it! 

What are your Winter beauty essentials?

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Nails Of The Day | Floral

Floral Primark Nail Wraps £1

I've always loved the effect of nail foils/ wraps and Minx nails but I didn't want to spend around £10 on a set and not being sure if I would ruin them or if they would even last a day. I recently saw a review on the Primark nail wraps saying they were actually very good for £1, so I decided to pick up a floral set to try out. There are quite a few different styles you can pick from from tribal patterns to neon colours, but personally I think these ones are the prettiest!

These wraps are a black base with pink and yellow roses on which I think are very pretty for anytime of the year. You get 20 different sized strips per pack which means you can have them on your nails or toes!

They apply very easily. You select the wrap which most fits your nail and you can trim it so it fits perfectly. You then warm the strip up by rubbing it, peel it off and then apply it to your nail. Once you have smoothed it down, you file the edges to remove the excess strip. Very quick and simple! 

I don't think these will last very long on the nails, probably about a day as they may come off in the shower. But, I think these would be perfect for a special occasion where you'd only need them for that day.

I will definitely be picking these up again, they're a perfect way to have effortless and pretty nails!

Have you tried the Primark nail wraps?

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November Favourite's

Dodgy winter lighting makes my pictures look so weird!

Today is the 1st of December, which means Christmas is literally days away! I'm so excited! I love spending the day with my family, eating good food and swapping gifts with everyone. But saying that, where has the year gone?! I remember last Christmas as if it was yesterday and can't believe we're going into 2013 in a few weeks. 

I have been enjoying a few products this month, so I thought I would share them with you.

♥ Batiste Lace Dry Shampoo - I picked this up a while ago in a haul and said how nice it smelt and that I'd used it a couple times. I use this everyday that i haven't washed my hair and it leaves it smelling fresh, grease free and with lots of volume at the roots. I never used to be a huge fan of Batiste but now I can't get enough!

♥ 2True Liquid Eyeliner in 01 Black - I've been into very clean makeup this month where I do a nude lip and thick eyeliner. This is the best liquid liner I have used and it only costs £1.99 from Superdrug! It's so easy to apply, is very pigmented and stays on my eyes all day. Can't fault this product, I love it!

♥ Superdrug's Vitamin E Skin Care Nourishing Night Cream - I've never bothered with night creams and usually used my day moisturiser at night. But I saw this in Superdrug for £2.99 and decided to give it a go because I had seen good things about other products in this line. At first when I used it, I thought I'd had an allergic reaction, but I think I narrowed it down to a different cleanser I had used the same day as my skin is perfectly fine now. It's super nourishing and hydrating so you only need a little bit. It's full of vitamins A, B, E, F and H as well as antioxidants which are great for the skin. My skin's been feeling extra soft and hydrated since buying this so would definitely recommend it for people with dry skins!

♥ Makeup Academy Lipstick in Shade 15 Juicy - This is the lipstick I always use to create a nude lip (I think the lighting was weird when I took the picture, so it isn't as orange in real life). It's an orange toned nude which I think suits me well. I do find this lipstick a little dry, but I always pair it with the Barry M lip gloss in this picture. I'm a huge fan of MUA's lipsticks, and I have a review post about them HERE.

♥ Barry M Limited Edition Lip gloss - This lip gloss came free with an Impulse body spray, so doesn't actually have a name. It's a standard nude coloured gloss with no shimmer in, so is perfect for an everyday look. The best thing about this lip gloss is that it smells of caramel! It's amazing! I highly recommend Barry M lip glosses!

What are your November favourite's?

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