November Favourites

Hi Everyone!

It's the end of the month so that means it's time for my favourites post where I share my most used and loved products from the last month. It's less than a month until Christmas now so you'll see some rather festive items creeping in! So let's get started!

Benefit Bella Bamba Blush:

I have quite a few blushes in my collection and this is the only one from Benefit. It is a lovely pink watermelon colour with a slight gold shimmer. It is similar to NARS Orgasm but is pinkier in my opinion. It has a lovely brightening effect on your face and looks great all year round.

ELF High Definition Powder:

I have been using this powder for a couple of months now and I really like it. It is is a very fine powder that is designed to create a 'soft focus' to the skin and masks fine lines and imperfections. I find that it is also great for reducing the amount of shine on my face. I use the applicator that came with it and apply it to my forehead, nose and chin in a patting motion.

MAC Technikohl Liner in Smooth Manoeuvre:

I was talked in to buying this liner from a MAC artist on a recent shopping trip, it is one of the new, limited edition liners from their Glitter and Ice Christmas Collection. Smooth Manoeuvre is described as 'a black with pearl'. I mainly purchased this to use on my waterlines in place of my usual Feline or Smoulder pencils and I love it! It's glides on much easier and seems to set into place and lasts much longer.

MAC Lipstick in Pink Plaid:

I am a big fan of pink lipsticks and purchased this after seeing one of my favourite YouTube beauty guru's Grace aka Cosmetic Couturier used it in a recent video (click here to visit her channel). MAC describe this as 'Dirty Blue- Pink' and it is fast becoming one of my favourite lipsticks, it looks great paired with a smokey purple eye and is really wearable.

Stila Lip Glaze in Kitten:

I recently purchased the Stila Lip Glaze Christmas gift set (click here to read my review and to see swatches) and Kitten is my favourite so far. It's a beautiful shimmery champagne colour and looks great when worn alone or layered over a lipstick.

(L to R) Inglot 352, Make up Forever 9, Make up Forever 92

Make-up Forever Eyeshadows in numbers 9 and 92:

I do not own many Make-up Forever eyeshadows but I really love the ones that I do! Purple is my favourite colour so I had to pick up the famous 92 shadow which is a very bright, matte purple shade. I like to wear it all over the lid with a dark purple in the crease such as MAC's Sketch or Shadowy Lady and Make-up Forever's number 9 which is a matte lavender colour. I wore this combination on a recent shopping trip in Manchester and got so many comments! So many people asked me where I got my eyeshadows from!

Inglot Eyeshadow in number 352 Matte:

I am big into Inglot products at the moment and especially their eyeshadows! 352 is a pale pinky- cream colour and might look like quite a boring choice for this post when compared to some of their more, eye catching, brighter colours but this shade is amazing, it is such a great highlight colour and is so smooth and creamy to apply. It also does a great job at blending out any harsh lines and is a most have for any Inglot eyeshadow palette!

Emporio Armani Diamonds Perfume:

Diamonds has been a favourite perfume of mine for quite a while now and I have been wearing it quite a lot recently. It is a great fresh, feminine, floral scent and works well during the day and at night. I would definitely recommend checking this fragrance out if you are looking for a perfume to buy for someone over Christmas as I haven't come across anyone who doesn't like it!

Glitter Nail Polishes:

I had to end with glittery nail polishes! I really love them and we have been spoilt for choice with this years Christmas collections from OPI, China Glaze and Zoya in particular. My picks so far have to be China Glaze's Snow Globe from their Let it Snow Collection and Lorelei's Tiara from their Eye Candy Collection. OPI's The Muppet's Collection is also fantastic, especially Rainbow Connection, Divine Swine and Excuse Moi. I really like the look of Zoya's Gem's and Jewels Collection too! So many fab glitter polishes, so little time!

Here some swatches of a few of the items mentioned above:

(L to R) Inglot 352, Make up Forever 9, Make up Forever 92

 

(L to R) Benefit Bella Bamba, MAC Pink Plaid, Stila Kitten, MAC Smooth Manoeuvre

Thanks for reading my post and I hope that you have enjoyed it. Please feel free to share your favourite products with me in the comments section below.

Maz x

Top 10 Autumn/ Fall & Winter Nail Polishes

Hi Everyone!

I thought that it would be fun to compile a list of my top 10 nail polishes for Autumn/ Fall and winter. I put a similar list together for Spring and Summer (click to read it) earlier on in the year too. So let's get started with the pictures and swatches!

(L to R) Essie Cocktail Bling, China Glaze Below Deck, Essie Mink Muffs, OPI Black Cherry Chutney, OPI Lincoln Park After Dark

(L to R) China Glaze Ruby Pumps, OPI Diva of Geneva, Zoya Rea, Essie Sexy Divide, Orly Fowl Play

10. Essie Mink Muffs

Just making my top 10 list is Mink Muffs by Essie! It is described as 'smokey plush taupe'. I am not a big fan of this type of colour of polish but I do like this one and it makes a change from the normal colours that I wear!

9. China Glaze Below Deck

China Glaze's Below Deck is a fairly recent addition to my nail polish collection and I really like it. Click here to read my review about this polish.

8. China Glaze Ruby Pumps

As you can see, Ruby Pumps is a red glitter colour and is one of China Glaze's most famous and best selling shades. I think that it is gorgeous and the perfect festive colour for Christmas day!

7. Zoya Rea

Rea is a beautiful, metallic colour that Zoya describe as 'a silvery taupe-kissed, mauve-purple. I think that this polish is my top pick for a new years eve party!

6. Orly Fowl Play

Fowl Play is another fairly recent addition to my collection and it is a stunning and quite unusual polish. Please click here to read my full review.

5. OPI Black Cherry Chutney

Black Cherry Chutney is a classic, deep wine shade that is ideal for this time of year. I recently reviewed this polish so click here to read my blog post.

4. Essie Cocktail Bling

I really love Cocktail Bling as it is a beautiful, icy winter colour that would look great paired up with a glitter top coat for even more bling! Please click here to read my full review of the polish.

3. OPI Diva of Geneva

Diva of Geneva is a rosy, shimmery magenta colour that reminds me of gem stones! It is one of my favourite polishes overall to wear any time of the year and great for a festive party.

2. Essie Sexy Divide

If, like me, your favourite colour is purple then you will absolutely love Sexy Divide from Essie. It is a dark purple but manages to stay a true purple colour without crossing over into the black category!

1. OPI Lincoln Park After Dark

OK so this one may be a little predictable! Lincoln Park After Dark is a very dark purple colour and is one of OPI's best selling shades. This has been my number 1 polish for many years now and I have repurchased it several times.

I hope that you have enjoyed reading about my top 10 Autumn/ Winter nail polishes. Please feel free to share your top polishes with me in the comments section below!

Maz x

Chocolate, Oat & Nut Cookies

Hi Everyone!

Another cookies recipe yet again! I really love to make them and today's batch are for one of my friends, I am going round to her house tonight for tea so I thought that they'd make a great snack for us! Here's what you need to make them followed by the method.

INGREDIENTS

100g Plain Flour

1/4 tsp Salt

1/4 Bicarbonate of Soda

1/4 Baking Powder

125g Unsalted Butter

175g Soft Brown Sugar

25g Caster Sugar

1 Egg

1 tsp Vanilla Extract

50g Chopped Mixed Nuts

100g Porridge Oats

50g Milk Chocolate Chips

METHOD

1. Pre heat oven to 180C/ Gas Mark 4 and line a 2 baking sheets with non stick baking paper.

2. Sift the flour into a bowl with the salt, bicarbonate of soda and baking powder and put to one side.

3. Cream the sugars, butter, vanilla and egg together in a bowl using an electric whisk.

4. Stir the flour mixture into the wet mixture until the flour is well combined.

5. Now stir in the oats, chocolate chips and nuts.

6. Place tablespoon fulls of the mixture well spaced out onto the baking sheets. You can make 12-18 cookies with this mixture, then flatten them slightly.

7. Bake in the oven for 8-10 minutes until golden brown.

8. Remove from the oven and allow them to cool on the sheets for 5 minutes then transfer them to a wire rack to cool fully.

I found this recipe on the BBC Good Food website but I changed it slightly. Give them a try they are delicious!

Maz x

Slatkin & Co S'mores & Leaves Candles - Review

Hi Everyone!

I have really been bitten by the candle bug lately! I purchased a couple of the Yankee candles recently but really wanted to try some of the candles by Slatkin and Co which supply Bath and Body Works in the USA. I have heard so many good things about them via YouTube videos and online blogs so when I realised that they are available to buy here in the UK and I jumped at the chance! The first fragrance that caught my attention when browsing the site was the S'mores candle,

S'mores Description: "Layers of gooey marshmallow, melted dark chocolate and sweet graham crackers."

That description sounds totally amazing and I love the smell of marshmallows and chocolate, who doesn't? I purchased this in the 4oz size which, I think, is classed as a medium sized candle. I have already burnt this one quite a bit and it smells gorgeous! You can really pick out the dark chocolate and marshmallow scents but it's not too overpowering and sickly smelling.

I also decided to get one of the small candles which weigh 1.6oz. These candles are designed to let you try out a fragrance without purchasing a more expensive size. I went for the Leaves candle,

Leaves Description: "Autumnal notes of golden nectar, juicy mandarin and red delicious apples are paired with toasted cinnamon stick, mulled cider spices and freshly harvested red berries."

I think that this candle sounded ideal as a warming, Fall/ Winter scent. I have to admit that it isn't the kind of scent that I would usually go for but I recently watched a video by Elle Fowler (allthatglitters 21) who is my favourite YouTube beauty guru, and she said that this candle was her favourite so I thought that I'd give it a try! I'm not sure if I would purchase this one again as I feel that the cinnamon smell if pretty strong and I'm not a big fan of cinnamon but it is nice as a change from the sort of candles that I usually go for.

All of the Slatkin and Co candle range look amazing and I definitely want to try out a few more including Homemade Oatmeal and Raisin Cookies, Caramel Apple, Fireside and Gingerbread. If you have tried any of these please let me know what you think!

I purchased my candles from Bath and Body Shop. The Leaves candle cost £2.99 and the S'mores candle cost £9.25.

I hope that you have enjoyed this post, please feel free to leave any candle scent recommendations in the comment section below for me!

Maz x

China Glaze Below Deck - Review & Swatch

Hi Everyone!

Today I decided to apply China Glaze's Below Deck nail polish to my nails which is from their Anchors Away collection. This polish is described as a 'purple- taupe with a cream finish' and I think that is about right! It is quite an unusual colour and I certainly don't own anything else like it! It seems to manage to look a little bit grey, maroon, purple and chocolate which I love! Below Deck is also supposed to be similar to a popular discontinued China Glaze polish called Channelesque and is also a close dupe of the famous Metro Chic by Sephora by OPI which is a shade that I've always wanted to try but can't get here in the UK.

I started off by applying 2 coats of OPI Matte Nail Envy as my base coat followed by 2 coats of Below Deck. I have to say that this is one of the easiest polishes that I have ever used! The brush seems to be the ideal size for my nails and the polish applies really smoothly and evenly. It was fully opaque after 1 coat but I always apply 2. The polish also dries really quickly too. I finished off with a coat of Seche Vite Fast Drying top coat to finish.

This colour is so pretty and I think that it is the perfect winter colour when you fancy a change from something really dark!

I purchased my polish from Beauty Chamber for £8.99.

Maz x

Too Faced Bronzer's Series - Part 3 - Sun Bunny

Hi Everyone!

This is my third and final post in my series of 3 reviews of Too Faced Bronzers. Today's post is a swatch and review of the Sun Bunny Bronzer which is one of the brands best selling products. This bronzer is made up of two shades of brown that Too Faced describe as Deep Bronze and Golden Bronze. As you look at the compact the colour on the left looks much lighter than the colour on the right, however, I did not find this when I swatched the Product!

Here is the swatch of the bronzer shown on NW20 skin. I swatched both sides individually and then swatched the 2 sides blended together.

Sun Bunny contains a lot more shimmer than the previous TF bronzers that I have reviewed, so stay clear if you prefer matte powders. I found the right hand side of this bronzer to be quite orangey and not all that flattering but the lighter side, when used alone, is much nicer. This may be more suited to darker skin tones but it certainly isn't for me. Overall I am a little disapointed. After review the 3 bronzers I would say that Snow Bunny has to be my pick of the bunch!

I purchased this bronzer from Look Fantastic for £17.60. You can also purchase it from the official Too Faced website for $29.

I hope that you enjoyed my Too Faced bronzer mini series. Please check out my other 2 posts in the series if you haven't already! Click here to read my review of the Pink Leopard bronzer and here to read about the Snow Bunny bronzer. I hope that you have found this series of posts interesting and useful.

Maz x

Too Faced Romantic Eye Palette - Review & Swatches

Hi Everyone!

I have just received the Too Faced Romantic Eye palette through the post and it is a palette that I have wanted for a while now and I finally gave in and ordered it! This is the first eyeshadow palette that I have tried from Too Faced but I am a big fan of there Shadow Insurance and bronzer's so I thought that I'd give this a go as the colours appeal to me so much. The palette is made from strong cardboard with a really pretty floral design, the lid features a magnetic, snap shut closure. The palette comes with 9 eyeshadows and 3 tutorial cards.

Tutorial Cards

Soulmates: Shimmering Nectar: This shade would make a great brow highlight colour, it is quite shimmery so I would pair it with matte shades on the lid.

Kiss the Bride: Pink Petal: This is a beautiful pale pink colour that you could also use as a brow highlight but would also look great all over the lid.

Bouquet Toss: Baby's Breath: This is a matte cream colour and is great for highlighting the brow bone and inner eye area.

I Do: Smokey Taupe: This is a basic, medium taupe colour which would look lovely all over the lid for a day-time look or would be a great colour to use to blend out a dark shadow in the crease.

Cut the Cake: Heathered Mist: This is a very dark chocolate shade which is great for darkening up the outer corner of your lid and could also double up as eyeliner.

Honeymoon: Gilded Fern: This is such a pretty colour, it is a mid-tone grey/ purple colour that would look great paired with purples and browns.

Unveil: Smouldering Coal: This is a really rich, dark eggplant shade that reminds me of MAC's Shadowy Lady eyeshadow.

First Dance: Midnight Orchid: This is a stunning, highly pigmented, shimmery gold colour and is my favourite in the palette. It would look amazing as an all over lid colour and would also look great along the lower lashline with a neutral lid for a pop of colour.

Ever After: Spicy Chocolate: This is a deep bronze shade that would make a great lid or crease colour.

Swatches shown on NW20 skin:

(L to R) Soulmates, Kiss the Bride, Bouquet Toss

(L to R) I Do, Un-Veil, Cut the Cake, First Dance, Honeymoon, Ever After

I am so impressed with this palette, I think it is amazing. I love the colour selection as it is right up my street. The tutorial cards that come with the palette offer 3 pretty basic looks which would be great for a beginner starting out with make up but there are a lot of possibilities with this palette. All of the colours are really nicely pigmented and the majority are matte which I like. All 9 shades work really well together and apply and blend out wonderfully. I will definitely have to check out Too Faced's other eyeshadow palettes and add them to my Christmas wish list!
I purchased my palette from for £23.50. You can also purchase it from Too Faced Online for $36.

Maz x

Boots 17 Magnetized Nail Polish - Review & Swatch

Hi Everyone!

A couple of week's ago I review one of the new Nails Inc Magnetic Nail Polish (click to here read it) and I absolutely loved it but they are quite pricey (around £13 here in the UK) so when I found out that the Boots 17 brand offered a more affordable option I jumped at the chance! The Boots polishes are available in 4 different colours: teal, gun metal, blue and purple and are priced at £5.99 each which is great! The packaging is very similar to the Nails Inc polishes, as you can see from the pictures below, and they are applied in the same way. I picked up one of the 17 polishes in Teal.

I began by applying 2 coats of OPI Matte Nail Envy as my base followed by one, fairly thin coat of the 17 Magnetized polish. I allowed the first coat to dry fully then applied a thick second coat. It is important to carry out this stage nail by nail as you do not want the polish to dry before you have used the magnet on it. After applying the second coat to the nail line the magnetic up over you nail, making sure not to touch the nail and hold steady for around 10 seconds for the pattern to form. I gave my nails as long as I could to dry before applying a coat of OPI Rapi Dry Top Coat.

How pretty are they?! I am so impressed with this polish, they applied so easily and smoothly and dried really quickly. They are, in my opinion, just as good as the Nails Inc polishes and half the price!

You can purchase the 17 Magnetic Polish online from Boots and from Boots stores, however, I have noticed that they only seem to be available at larger stores at the moment.

Maz x

Lush Haul

Hi Everyone!

I have picked up a few things from Lush over the last couple of weeks and thought that I'd share them with you all! The goodies that I have bought are from 2 separate trips to Lush and some items are from the new Christmas collection! Here's what I got!

Hottie Massage Bar

This is the first massage bar that I have purchased and I was drawn to it as I have had back problems for a very long time now and as anyone who is in constant pain will know, you will try anything once to relieve it! The bar contains ginger and peppermint oils which have a lovely warming affect on your body which makes it perfect for these cold month's. It also contains cocoa and Shea butters which have a moisturising effect. I have used this bar once, so far, and I loved it. My muscles are so sore and I really felt that it made a difference to them. I also really liked the smell! This is a definite re purchase for me!

Stepping Stone Foot Scrub

This stone is used to remove any dead skin cells from your feet and also contains deodorising and antiseptic properties which is great. I found that this stone is very crumbly and is easily ruined. The best way to use it is to carefully break a chunk off at time and do not get the whole thing wet. The stone works really well and has an overpowering lemon smell which I liked, but may not be for everyone. Overall, I like it as it works so well but its tendency to fall apart is such a big shame.

Buffy Body Butter

I was recommended this item by the salesperson and thought that I'd give it a try. The idea of it is that it is used on wet skin to remove dead skin cells and also leaves behind a layer of moisture. For me I felt it was a little hard and too harsh but I liked the layer of moisture that it leaves behind as it means that you don't need to apply a separate moisturiser when you get out of the bath/ shower.

Snow Fairy Shower Gel

This is the first of the Christmas items that I picked up and I am in love with it! It smells absolutely amazing and reminds me of candy floss and bubblegum. It is apparently Lush's number 1 Christmas bestseller and I am gutted that it is limited edition though and I may have to stock up!

Sweetie Pie Shower Jelly

I was so drawn to the shower jellies in the store as I have never seen anything quite like them! Sweetie pie was the one that I was immediately attracted to as I love the colour purple and the smell is amazing, it kind of reminds me of some blackcurrant sweets that my grandma used to buy me when I was little! The smell is also very similar to the Comforter Bubble Bar which is a product that I have repurchased several times over the years. The jelly contains cherries and coconut which are 2 of my favourite smells and also has sparkly bits in it which you may be able to pick up in the picture above.

Tea Tree Toner Tabs

I have never used Lush's Toner Tabs before but I thought that I'd give them a go after seeing a couple of positive reviews of them on YouTube. The Tea Tree Tabs are designed for oily and spot prone skin. You place the tabs in a bowl of hot water, they then fizz and let off a steam. You place a towel over your head and lean over the bowl. Sounds like fun! I haven't tried these yet but if I really like them I write a proper review of them at a later date!

Lil Lush Pud Bath Bomb

I loved the look of this bath bomb as it looks like a Christmas pudding! It smells like marzipan which is such an amazing smell, especially for this time of year and also works to calm and sooth your skin.

Snowcake Soap

(This soap was purchased as part of a gift set which is why it is in the shape of a star)

I love Lush soaps and this Christmas soap also smells of marzipan so goes brilliantly with the bath bomb above.

The Melting Snowman Bath Melt

How cute is this little guy? This is the first bath melt that I have tried from Lush and I couldn't resist him when I saw him! He smells just like the Snowcake soap so another winner if you are a fan of the smell of marzipan! He also softens the water and moisturizes you skin. I am going to break him into 2 pieces to make him last longer!

Golden Wonder Bath Bomb

I was drawn to this bath bomb after seeing a video of it on YouTube! It changes colour from gold to yellow and then blue when in the water and also contains stars that spill out of it as it fizzes! It also has a great smell and is the ultimate treat!

Cupcake Fresh Face Mask

I am a big fan of face masks and use one every week but this is the first fresh one that I have tried. I chose this one as it is suitable for oily, spot prone skin which I, unfortunately, have! It smells of chocolate and vanilla which is gorgeous! The mask contains Linseed to nourish the skin, mint to tone the skin, cocoa butter to moisturise it and rhassoul mud to give it a deep clean. The masks are kept in the fridge which gives it a lovely cooling sensation when applied. I have tried this mask once so far and I have to say that my skin looks much clearer the next morning. A big thumbs up from me!

I hope that you have enjoyed this post, please feel free to leave any Lush recommendations in the comments section below.

You can purchase all of the products mentioned above from Lush online and at their stores.

Maz x

Orly Fowl Play - Review & Swatches

Hi Everyone!

Today I applied the newest addition to my nail polish collection, Orly's Fowl Play from their Birds of a Feather Collection for Fall/ Autumn 2011. Fowl Play has a dark purple, jelly base and is packed full of red and green duochrome flakes and blue and silver micro glitter.

First I applied 2 coats of OPI Matte Nail Envy as my base followed by 2 coats of Fowl Play. The lacquer consistency is quite thick and gloopy and not the easiest polish to apply. The first coat was pretty uneven and streaky. The second coat of the polish really evened things out and left a beautiful finish. I finished my applying a coat of Seche Vite Fast Drying Top Coat.

This polish is beautiful and perfect for a Christmas night out. Polishes with a jelly base and flecks of colour seem to be really popular at the moment and are a great alternative to glitter polishes.

I purchased my bottle from Beauty Bay for £6.95. If you have purchased any of the other polishes from the Birds of a Feather Collection please let me know what you think of them in the comments section below!

Maz x

Lorraine Pascale's 21st Century Bread

Hi Everyone!

I decided to make something savory today for a change! Lorraine Pascale is one of my favourite TV chefs and after seeing her make this easy bread recipe on her show I had to give it a go! It is a gorgeous Ham, Cheese and Chive bread that is perfect with soup for these cold winter evenings!

(I omitted the ham and it was still super tasty!)

INGREDIENTS:

425g Self Raising Flour

1 tsp Baking Powder

1/2 tsp Salt

160g Mature Cheddar

6 Slices of Honey Roast Ham, chopped finely

1/2 Bunch Chives, chopped finely

1 tsp Paprika

Twist of Black Pepper

1 tsp Mustard Powder

200ml Water

METHOD:

1. Pre heat oven to 200C and line a baking tray.

2. Add all of the ingredients into a large bowl (Only add 150g of the cheese to the mixture at this stage, 10g is reserved for sprinkling over the top before baking).

3. Stir the ingredients together until a dough is formed.

4. Form the dough into a ball and shape into a rough, round loaf shape.

5. Place the dough on the baking tray and slash the top with a sharp knife 3 times and sprinkle 10g of the cheese over the top.

6. Bake for 35 - 45 minutes.

Freshly baked bread tastes and smells amazing and this is the perfect recipe if you are limited with time. I would definitely make this bread again!

I hope that you have enjoyed this post and will maybe give it a go!

I found this recipe on the Celebrity Kitchen website.

Maz x