Sleek Face Contour Kit

For a while I have been looking for a contour kit. Up until now I had just been using a regular bronzer to contour and an ELF highlighter. I had heard lately though about the Sleek Face Contour Palette. I'm a great fan of Sleek as like ELF I do believe they are great quality for a cheaper High Street brand of cosmetics. This palette had received great reviews in the blogging and YouTube community so for a bargain price of £6.99 I thought it was worth a try and having used this for the past week or so I do believe I may have found my new favourite product. 

What Sleek has to say about it...

A highlighter and pressed powder kit, which can be used to help sculpt and define one’s features. This product contains two powders. 

The darker powder is used to create shadows on the face, such as defining the jaw line or contouring the cheekbones. The lighter powder is the highlighter, used to reflect light off the face and can be placed in various places such as the apple of the cheeks, the temple, the tip of the nose etc. 14g

This palette comes in 3 shades, light medium or dark. I opted for the light one as it still looked fairly dark and you can always build up for a more intense colour. What I loved was how smooth and soft the powders are. They are slightly 'chalky' in consistency and of course can't be compared to department store brands yet for the price they are of great quality. 

It also comes with an instruction leaflet which may be helpful if you are new to contouring?

What I loved most was the highlighter. Like where has this been all my life? Up until now I had been using cream highlighters and had never tried a powder one so I was keen to test this. It glides on smoothly and leaves a gorgeous glow with a shimmer that just catches the light without leaving your face looking like a human glitter ball :)

With New Years Eve vastly approaching I would seriously advise you check this little gem out. You can purchase this at the Sleek website which can be viewed by clicking here. Or they are available at Superdrugs stores. 

Sorry about the pic qualities as lighting is hard to get right at the moment what with it being so dark early :( 

What are your New Years Eve party products and what do you all have planned? 

Small Disclaimer - I am not associated nor affiliated with Sleek or Superdrug. All products were purchased by me and reviewed for the benefit of my readers and subscribers. All opinions are my own. Product description and Sleek logo obtained from official Sleek website www.sleekmakeup.com where all products mentioned can be purchased. 

Clarisonic for £90? Too good to be true? Read on...

Wow, is all I can say. Whilst reading Miss Budget Beauty's blog she mentioned that BuyaPowa were doing the Clarisonic Mia for £90. This is such a bargain given that the RRP price is £120, I know because I have the blue Mia from Space NK and I have never looked back since I bought it, its definitely my product of the year, of my lifetime even and has made such an obvious improvement to my skin I can't ever see me using anything but. 


To read my full review on the Clarisonic Mia please click here!

What is Buya Powa...well according to the site this is what they have to say...

We call it co-buying. Each co-buy lasts for only a few hours and we only ever have a limited number of each product to sell.

Once you join a co-buy your purchase is guaranteed but you'll have the opportunity to drive the price down by bringing other buyers.

To view this amazing deal click here! I assume there is limited stock so you will have to act fast but there is 90 hours left from the time of this blog post :)

To view Miss Budget Beautys blog click here!

Im tempted to purchase one for my mum for her birthday in March seeing as she has been eyeing mine  up ever since I got it :)

Small Disclaimer - I am not associated or affiliated with either Buya Powa or Clarisonic. This was purely done for the benefit of my readers and subscribers. All opinions are my own. 

The Christmas Tag

I just recently read about the 'Christmas Tag' on Lucys Blog 'Lucy Writes' you can view her blog by clicking here.

I love tags and therefore if you read this please follow it on and leave your links in the
comment bar below so that I can read all your responses :)

Egg Nog or Hot Chocolate?

I never actually understood what Egg Nog is and still don't so if someone cares to enlighten me then please comment below as this is not such a big thing in the UK. I would therefore have to say Hot Chocolate.

Does Santa wrap presents or just sit them under the tree?

Wrap! Its not Christmas unless the presents are wrapped and bowed...does anyone seriously just sit them under the tree without wrapping?

Coloured lights on tree/house or white?

Always white, it just looks so much more classy however I love seeing the big tacky decorations outside peoples houses!

Do you hang mistletoe?

Yes :)

When do you put your decorations up?

When my family can be bothered to get them out of the loft which is usually the 2nd week of December when the rest of the street has already put theirs up...no one likes to be the first ha

What is your favourite holiday dish?

The Christmas dinner, Turkey, roast potatoes, lots of Cranberry sauce and all the trimmings! As long as I have my Christmas dinner I'm happy!

Favourite Holiday memory as a child? 

Being at my Grandma and Granddads. We would have presents at my mum and dads and then go there for Christmas dinner and then after dinner would be more presents. My grandparents were an inspiration to me and I have never felt as happy and content as I did when with them. If I have a marriage half as good as them then I will be incredibly blessed - they were truly amazing people and I miss them everyday!

When and how did you learn the truth about Santa?

I don't remember. Every year my mum and dad would leave presents at the end of our bed and my brother would be the first to find them. I think when my brother stopped 'believing' he probably broke the news to me :(

Do you open a gift on Christmas Eve? 

No, but we used to when my Aunty and Uncle came on Christmas Eve my dad would allow us one present each!

 How do you decorate your Christmas tree?

With baubles, and lots of sparkle and lights 

Snow! Love it or Dread it?

I hate it. To an extent. I hate the fact that the UK comes to a standstill when it snows. People don't know how to drive in it hence causing accidents and the country is so unprepared for it that generally the roads are unusable yet if I have no where to go then I am happy to play in the snow and have many memories of my dad taking me out in it when I was younger!

Can you ice skate?

Hell yeah, but my bf can't so we don't really go :( I used to go a lot when I was younger with my best mate

Do you remember your favourite gift?

Too many...

What’s the most important thing about the Holidays for you?

My boyfriend and family. Having time off work to just spend it with the ones I love without the need to be anywhere.

What is your favourite Holiday Dessert?

Christmas Pudding without fail! With loads of custard...and it has to be homemade :)

If you read this consider yourself tagged and please follow it on :) Thanks for reading!

Please no...not another Glossy Box Review :)

Ok...so I know what your thinking not another GlossyBox review! I was reluctant to do another review as there are so many out there and I think everyone basically gets the idea of what GlossyBox is etc. 

I decided to do this review though basically because I felt I had been too harsh on them for their past 2 boxes and I genuinely feel they have redeemed themselves with the Christmas box. Im not saying I am 100% going to stay with Glossy Box as I do feel there are other beauty boxes on the market better suited for my preferences but I just had to say well done to Glossy Box for this box of treats :)

To read my previous reviews on Glossy Box you can do so by clicking here and here!

Firstly I loved the unique red box...feels very christmassy and will be lovely to keep for storage! Thats one bonus with Glossy Box...their boxes are top quality!

In this special edition box you got 2 full size products which I thought was a nice touch.

Blink and Go Hi-Definition Mascara Full Size £14.99

Rituals Foaming Shower Gel (can't wait to try this) Full Size £6.50

Deborah Lippmann Nail Varnish 

Full Size £16.00

I adore the colour of this and it looks so pigmented in the bottle I can't wait to wear this over the festive period!

Deborah Lippmann Polish Remover Mitt 

This will be handy to keep in your handbag for emergency's 

MEMEME Seventh Heaven Moisturising Facebase 

Full Size £15.00

I have never tried anything from this range so this will be interesting to try plus it is a generous sample size too. I have heard some people have used it as a primer so it will be good to see how it compares with my other make-up primers.

Also included was a Cargo Cosmetics mini Lip-gloss which has found a nice hiding place in my handbag somewhere probably never to be seen again...

Full Size £10.00

I loved the fact that this box focused on beauty and make-up products and there wasn't a perfume sample in sight :) I think they really have redeemed themselves with this box and it was well worth the £10 plus postage spent!

Christmas in London, UK

Hi Everyone,

Work has been a little hectic of late and what with preparing for Christmas I literally have not found the time to blog :( I have really missed it though and as a New Years resolution I have promised that I will do more of what I love and that is blogging and interacting with you guys! 

On Sunday my gorgeous boyfriend and I took a drive into the city to go to Hyde Park to see Winter Wonderland...he has promised me this for years and it was well worth it even though it was very busy...here are a few photos of the days events :) Enjoy!

Becky x 

The Body Shop Make Up Brush Gift Set

Hey Everyone, 

This is a fairly quick post. Now i'm not one to get excited over gift sets, yet at Christmas time you can usually make mega savings on gift sets. Being a BIG fan of the Body Shop make up brushes I was a little excited to come across this little gem for £25 on the Body Shop website. With Crimbo vastly approaching this would make the ideal starter kit of make up brushes for a friend, sister, girlfriend or wife. I actually own ALL of the Body Shop brushes and you can see my review on them by clicking here. 

£25.00 click here to buy

What you get...

Face and Body Brush - £16 if bought separately
Brow and Lash Comb - £8 if bought separately
Eyeshadow Brush - £9 if bought separately
Lipstick/concealer Brush - £9 if bought separately
Fabric Brush Roll 

The brushes alone purchased individually would cost £42 so you have already made a massive saving. Even if you do not gift these then I would pick them up just for yourself as I think this is a great bargain and sometimes these types of bargains are only available at Christmas time.


Let me know if you have got any bargains over the Christmas...

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Marie Claire Beauty Blog Awards

Since I started blogging I have become an avid blog reader and read every single one of your lovely posts. One of my favourite blogs is 'A Little Obsessed'. She is a very established beauty blogger so I was really intrigued when she mentioned that Marie Claire were holding Blog Awards similar to those held by Cosmopolitan earlier this year. For the record I have voted for 'A Little Obsessed' for this. Being new to blogging this would be an amazing opportunity so I therefore ask my fellow subscribers and bloggers to please vote, this does not necessarily have to be for me although it would be amazing if you did :). You can nominate yourself or other blogs that you love. This is an amazing opportunity to get blogs recognised. To view 'A Little Obsessed' blog you can do so by clicking here. 

Please click the image below to take you directly to the Marie Claire entry form. Thank you once again! 

http://beckysmakeup.blogspot.com

Soap and Glory The Fab Pore Hot Cloth Cleanser

£10.00 at Boots.com, click here to buy

Being  a Soap and Glory fan I own almost all of their products in their skin care range however I was yet to try  The Fab Pore Hot Cloth Cleanser. So when I saw it in Boots a few weeks ago I was keen to try it. In all honesty I wanted to get the Liz Earle hot cloth cleanser however this was not available in my town and therefore I thought I would try this. Knowing that Soap and Glory come out with excellent products I was sure this would not let me down. Being slight cheaper and I mean slightly than the Liz Earle by a few £ I was keen to see whether this really did live up to its highly popular rival.  

In the box you get a 100ml tube of the cleanser and a muslin cloth. I would of liked to have perhaps seen 2 muslin cloths but they are so cheap to purchase this was not a big deal. 

The product itself contains Pathenol (no i don't know either...), Sweet Almond, Orange and Lavender Oils. What struck me most was the lavender scent, Im not a big fan of lavender yet I could tolerate this. It reminded me of something that would be used in a spa in a facial it was soothing, and relaxing and smells pleasant enough. 

The texture can be likened to a thick moisturiser yet not at all greasy. You apply a fairly generous amount of product to your hands and massage into the skin. I tend to focus on my most problematic areas such as the T zone first and then work on my eye area. As the product removes make up and thoroughly cleanses the skin there is no need to remove your make up first however I would concentrate on the eye area last to prevent rubbing all your eye make up over the rest of your face which yes, I did do on my first use. 

Once you have applied this all over your face, massage well to ensure all make up is brought to the surface and leave for 1 minute. You then take the muslin cloth and submerse in hot water, not too hot mind you that you burn your face but hot enough to touch and use this to remove all the product. 

If you are using this to remove all your make up then you will see that the cloth does get dirty very quickly. A quick since in hot water should do the trick however I would recommend only using the same muslin cloth a couple of times, 3 at the most to prevent it harbouring germs, hence why I would recommend purchasing a couple of spares which you can generally pick up in most drug stores or the body shop does a pack for minimal cost. The cloth can be then washed and used again, either boil the cloth and then dry or put it in the wash preferably on a hotter temp so perhaps with towels or sheets that you would use a hotter temperature for. 

My overall opinion on this product was why had I not purchased this sooner. Although I will be sticking to my general facial washes and Clarisonic for a majority of cleansing, for removing make up thoroughly this will be my go to product. I have since purchased the Liz Earle cleanser however am yet to try it until I have finished this product but if it carrys on the way it has then that could be very soon. I will look forward trying the cult Liz Earle product and reporting back :)

Have you tried this cleanser in comparison to the Liz Earle and if so what did you think?


click to follow by GFC :)

Lush Herbalism Facial Wash

For a while now I have been a Lush addict and if you read my last haul post which you can do so by clicking here then you will know that I recently purchased the Lush Herbalism Facial Wash. I had never tried any of their facial washes so I was intrigued to try the Herbalism one.

Lush claims that this controls excess oil and prevents breakouts and being a sufferer of excess oil this seemed like the perfect product. 

In the tub, it looks pretty disgusting to be honest :) It smells herbally, I guess the clues in the name... and as you can see I have used a fair amount of this already which is a sign of a good product in my books!

You only need to take a pea sized amount. The products itself has a claylike texture. You run this under water and rub your hands together to produce a paste. You then use this to wash your face. Because of the texture it has some exfoliant properties, I even found this gentle enough to use over the eye area without irritation however if you have highly sensitive eyes you may want to avoid this. Once I rinsed the product off, my skin felt soft with no dry areas which I have found previously with anti-blemish products. I can only assume this is down to it being fairly natural ingredients and since using the Body Shops non chemical shampoos I am starting to favour towards more natural ingredients as I have seen the benefits of them. 

I can't personally say I have notice a significant reduction in breakouts as I do not get many breakouts as such just the odd spots now and then and blemishes but I have to say this has improved the texture of my skin to the touch and I can definitely see myself buying this again in the future or if not this one I will be trying some of Lush's other facial washes in the near future!

Have you tried any of Lush's facial washes and if so what did you think?

My Interview by Nykki at My Mane Blog

Hi Everyone, 

I hope that you are having or have had a great weekend. This is just a quick short post. Some time ago, in September Nykki from My Mane Blog announced that she was to do a series of interviews with fellow beauty bloggers. Of course I was interested in this and being new to the beauty blogging community this was my opportunity to get my blog recognised and meet some other great bloggers along the way. Well the time has come and you can view my interview by clicking here.  Whilst you are there please check out Nykkis blog too :)  

Thanks Nykki for this opportunity! 

Collection 2000 Cream Puff

Hey Everyone, 

Sorry that I have been a bit slack on the posts of late. I have had a few things going on both socially and personally. I don't know if I have ever mentioned but I am currently awaiting jaw surgery and this week I finally got my date for February next year, which is only 12 weeks away and I am very nervous to say the least. I'm more than happy to discuss with you guys about the reasons why and when and how etc however to try to keep it personal I would rather you directed these questions to me via email at beckysmakeupandbeautyblogs@hotmail.com to prevent going to far off the topic and that is these luscious lip creams...

OK so I first heard about these via a YouTube beauty guru and I was pleased to see that they had them in my local Supermarket. These were £2.99 each however they had a deal on which was 2 for £5.00 so I picked up Cotton Candy and Fairy Cake.

Left - Cotton Candy, Right - Fairy Cake 

Images courtesy of  www.collection2000.co.uk, click here to buy!

Fairy cake is a very coral colour with a subtle hint of orange whereas Cotton Candy is a really lush pink colour without looking too 'bubblegum' pink. You could get away with wearing either colours day/night.

Lets start with what I loved about them. Now they are not a lipgloss and they are not a lipstick. Collection 2000 describe them as a lip cream. They have the texture and matte of a lipstick however do not have the stickiness of a gloss. I loved the texture and the easy application using the soft dome applicator. They are highly pigmented and gave a gorgeous full colour and there was no transfer either. My boyfriend made me kiss the back of his hand before kissing me to check and there was absolutely no product transfer so big thumbs up on that part.

Now what I didn't like...  Collection 2000 claim these to be a moisturising lip cream yet I actually found them very drying. When I applied the cream there is absolutely no room for movement to rub your lips together and I found myself licking my lips more so than usual just to get some moisture. They lasted fairly well yet I found that as they wore off they wore off uncomfortably somewhat drying my lips out as the colour faded. 

I think that these would be perfect if you were just wearing them out for a few hours however for wearing all day, in my personal opinion they are a no no unless you use a balm underneath.

However I do think that at such a good price they are worth the money but I don't know whether I would personally re-purchase them in the near future. 

Have you tried these Cream Puffs and I would be interested to know if you had any recommendations for moisturising lipsticks, glosses etc that do really work...

Winner of Vaseline Creme Brûlée Lip Therapy

Hi Girls, 

It's time to announce the winner of my 'small' giveaway. Thank you to all those that entered, subscribed and re-tweeted it really means a lot. So the winner was selected via random.org and without further ado... 

WINNER 

ZOE @ http://zozeze.blogspot.com/


CONGRATULATIONS!


Zoe, I have sent you an email. If you can send me your postal details via email and I will ensure your prize is sent as soon as possible!

Another Month...another Glossy Box - November

I know what you are thinking, not another Glossybox review however being my second box I thought I would give my thoughts. Following my review on my last box which you can read by clicking here, I had high hopes for this box. But, I can't help thinking that perhaps this idea isn't for me, or that Glossybox isn't the brand for me. I thought maybe last months was a one off but I can't help but feeling let down again although I am determined to stick it out until the Christmas box... 

What's included...
Arbonne Ultra Hydrating Hand Creme (Full Size £19)
I am not entirely sure who in their right mind would spend the best part of £20 on a hand cream and personally I am not a big user of hand cream, however this may be an incentive to start...


Dead Sea Spa Majik (Full Size £8.80)
Again I have seen this brand around and personally I do not see this as 'high end' considering it can be purchased in my local drugstore. 


Illamasqua Freak Eau De Parfum (Full Size £59)
This scent is actually really nice and liked the fact it is a spray bottle however I think that to class this as one of 5 high end products is a bit of a get out, I along with a few others am not keen on seeing perfume samples. 


Nail Rock Designer Nails
I actually saw these in Topshop the other day and since trying the charity Children in Need ones (click here) I have been tempted to get some more. These retail at £6.65 but again I don't think these are high end. And that was the whole point of GlossyBox... 


Philip Kingsley Elasticizer (Full Size £52.10)
Now, this I am quite excited about, I love trying hair products and anything that promises to improve the condition of my hair gets a thumbs up but in reality I would never pay this kind of money for it. 

Again, I am not overly excited about this box. I would like to see them branch more into makeup samples however I will try all these products none the less. 
Without sounding like a complete, stuck up ungrateful brat...I personally think after the Christmas box I will move onto another beauty box as they seem to give far more variety for your money. 


What were your thoughts on GlossyBox this month?

Sally Hansen Salon Nail Lacquer

Good Morning, 

Another day another post. Today is on the Sally Hansen Salon Nail Lacquer. I had heard great things about this brand especially that it is excellent for nail marbling (which I am a fan of) you can see my NOTD post for marbling by clicking here.

I actually first saw the Sally Hansen brand in Boots but at £7.99 a bottle I thought it was a bit steep, so can you imagine my excitement to find these little gems in my local £ shop! Yes, only £1 each so I picked up 4 of them in the colours they had available.

Each of them are 13.3ml so you get a good amount of product, I also love the long gripped handle which makes application so much easier.

L- R Pardon my French, Cocktail Party, Berry Sweet, Orange You Cute?

L- R Pardon my French, Cocktail Party, Berry Sweet, Orange You Cute?

1. Pardon My French

2. Cocktail Party

3. Berry Sweet

4. Orange You Cute?

My favourite has to be Berry Sweet which has a really girly, sophisticated feel about it. What I loved about the polishes was how smooth they went on and I would most definitely have paid more for them now I have tried and tested the quality of these. 

Pardon My French which is more of a french tip colour needed a couple of coats to get an opaque finish however with the darker colours only one coat is required for the opaque look, and 2 coats gives it that real shine factor!

Drying time was a little longer than most of my nail polishes yet not dramatically longer. As long as you do not coat it on too thickly then you should be good to go in a few minutes.

I am actually going to test these out soon for nail marbling, let me know if you would like a tutorial post on this?

Giveaway...Limited Edition Creme Brûlée Vaseline CLOSED

CLOSED




Hi Girls, 

I have a small treat for you, a small one mind you. I recently heard that Vaseline had released a Limited Edition Creme Brûlée Lip Therapy. Apparently this was exclusive to Selfridges, London which has now sold out!

For one lucky subscriber I have one pot of this limited edition beauty to giveaway!

Image courtesy of selfridges.com

Rules for the giveaway...

Max of 2 entries per person (see below) and the following is mandatory...

1. You must be a follower via GFC, please leave your GFC name in the comments below

2. Comment below with 'enter me' and your email address (+ 1 entry)


For extra entry...

3. Follow me on twitter and tweet 'I've entered @beckysMABBlogs 's GIVEAWAY ft Vaseline Limited Edition Creme Brûlée Lip Therapy! Enter at http://beckysmakeup.blogspot.com' (+ 1 entry)

The giveaway is open for 1 week only and will close at midnight Thursday 24th November and a winner will be selected via random.org

Open Internationally!


It has been brought to my attention that some people do not have twitter accounts, therefore in order to allow those without  twitter accounts to enter I shall be changing this so that those that do tweet will get 2 entries and those without twitter will get one. Hopefully this is the fairest way to do this. So if you have entered and tweeted you will be entered into the draw twice and therefore have twice the chance of winning.

Good Luck x