No Money March: New Revlon Mascara Marathon - Volume + Length Magnified

So today brings us the closing instalment of our Revlon mascara marathon, and I have (accidentally) saved the best for last. While I thought I'd love the All-In-One that we looked at on Monday, it's the Volume + Length Magnified formula that really left a lasting impression on me.

I must admit, I struggled to see what would be different about the claims for this one and the All-In-One, but these claims seem to be a lot more realistic:

"Create envy with every lash flutter using the Revlon Volume & Length Magnified Mascara . The high-shine fibre formula provides amplified volume and length for big doe eyed lashes.

It’s all about the brush:

The Revlon Magnifying Lash Brush has a unique square brush, which anchors the formula to lashes, coating them individually for intense volume and length."

This does have that same lash-fibre formula as the All-In-One, but I feel that the Volume + Length Magnified has a wand that is better equipped for depositing the lash fibres onto the lashes in a way that looks more natural. This wand is a traditional bristle brush and I find that it's a really good size (neither over nor under sized) and that the bristles aren't too long or too short either. It's basically a standard no-frills-attached mascara wand.

I find this product to be very lengthening to the lashes and you can easily build volume with it if you take the time to build it up. I can comfortably apply 2 coats and started to see the tiniest amount of clumping on the 3rd coat but it does give a very fluttery looking lash. I think this is the all-rounder of the bunch, it gives length, volume and the lashes still look nicely defined with this.

That being said - I am interested to see which of the bunch you prefer if you've tried any of these?

No Money March: New Revlon Mascara Marathon - Dramatic Definition

So our Revlon mascaras takeover is still going strong and today we're looking at the Dramatic Definition formula. It's occurred to me that in none of the previous posts have I mentioned the price, I picked mine up at an introductory price of £6.99, but once full price these will retail for £9.99 a piece which seems to be the standard for high-street mascaras these days.

Like the Ultra Volume that we looked at on Tuesday, this was one from the line-up that I really couldn't see working for me since I have quite short lashes and this product claims to:

"Exaggerate your look by using the Revlon Dramatic Definition Mascara. The smooth, flexible formula coats lashes for clump-free definition ensuring lashes appear endless.

It’s all about the brush:

The Revlon Lash Separator Brush coats and separates each lash for dramatic, bold definition, whilst the tiered bristles define and separate every lash, resulting in thick, heavy black lashes."

This mascara has a rubber bristle brush and the bristles are distributed in 5 rows that are quite spaced apart from each other, the tip of the wand is also quite flexible. I picked this up in non-water-proof and I feel like the formula on this mascara is exactly the same as the formula on the Ultra Volume, so a tiny bit of smudging but no flaking.

When I think of defining mascaras I tend to think of "barely there" lashes, or lashes that are naturally long and full looking that don't need much help and with just one coat thats exactly what this mascara does. I find that the first coat with this one doesn't deposit much product onto the lashes and it does leave a really defined look to the lashes.

That being said, if you try to build up any type of volume of length you will notice the definition in your lashes disappear pretty quickly. I can apply 2 coats comfortably and the mascara builds on itself nicely but by coat 3 things can start looking a tiny bit clumpy and I needed the 3rd coat to get the length I wanted.

If your lashes aren't too short or you don't mind a tiny bit of clumping, this might be for you. I also think you'll like this if you're looking for a more natural lash.

No Money March: New Revlon Mascara Marathon - Super Length

Day 3 of Revlon mascara's week and if you're wondering how I'm choosing what order to post these in by now - it's the rainbow song. You know, the one that goes "red and yellow and pink and green...". I didn't want to go in order of preference because I thought it would ruin the surprise of whether or not I got on with it. But that aside, lets have a look a todays pick: the Super Length formula.

The Super Length mascara is the one in the green packaging and as a girl with short lashes, I thought this one would be something I'd get on with. The marketing claims on this product state that it's"

"A luscious formula, which glides on easily and builds up quickly to create incredible lash length.

It’s all about the brush:

The innovative Revlon Stretch Brush tip coats even the smallest of lashes, whilst the long side bristles pulls the high-shine, length fibres through lashes to create serious super lashes."

Now I have no idea what brush the marketing people were looking at when they came up with those claims, but it cannot possibly have been the brush on this mascara. The brush is a stand bristle mascara wand but it's easily twice as big as most, which makes it quite clumsy to apply. I did find that the mascara offered length but it didn't seem any more lengthening than any of the others in the range and it offered next to nothing in terms of volume.

This is the only one from the range that I picked up in the water-proof formula. I don't usually wear water-proof mascara as I don't usually need it but for the purposes of testing I wanted to try one and I found that while the water-proof formula didn't smudge at all, it flaked off more than the non-water-proof formulas.

No Money March: New Revlon Mascara Marathon - Ultra Volume

Day 2 of the Revlon mascara take-over week and today we're looking at the "Ultra Volume" formula in the pink packaging. Of the 5 different formula's available this was one of the two that stood out to me as something I didn't think I'd get on with, but in the interest of offering a complete review of the collection I gave it a go anyway.

We're sticking to the non-water-proof formula so in terms of smudging and flaking it's really similar to yesterdays pick. The main difference I found in the formulas was that this one doesn't seem to have the little lash fibres. Here's what the claims are:

"Introducing Ultra Volume Mascara, allowing you to create massive, volumised lashes with a conditioning, clump free formula, which plumps lashes for intense volume.

It’s all about the brush:

The Revlon Lash Plumping Brush has triple grooves to hold the mascara formula for maximum lash volume, whilst the short and long bristles eliminate clumps; ensuring lashes are thick and voluminous."

So the brush on this one is a standard bristle brush but I do think the bristles seem to be a bit more spaced out than they are on other wands I've seen. I also notice that while the wand doesn't seem to be upsized at all, the bristles do seem to be a bit longer than you would typically find on a traditional bristle mascara wand.

I'd say of all the mascaras in the collection, this one has the most accurate claims. On my lashes it gives a lot of volume and not much else. It's not particularly clumpy for such a volumising mascara but it does give that almost spider-y look to my lashes. I think this is because while it's really volumising, it offers little in terms of length and so if you have shorter lashes like mine, this isn't going to balance them out amazingly.

I personally think I'll get the most use out of this product as a layering mascara on top of something that's really lengthening just to add a bit more drama. However if you have long, thin lashes, this might work a treat for you.

The January Blues

I'm not normally one to feel the January Blues but I have to hold my hands up this year: it's hit me pretty hard this January. So to make light of what is possibly a pretty grim time for at least some of us, I thought I'd run through my top 5 blues from a cosmetics side of things.

So something I've loved and used consistently for year is the Inglot Nail Enamel in "942". While Inglot are near impossible to source here in Manchester I picked this up on a trip to Belfast years ago and it's what's on my toes 9 times out of 10. The formula is lovely and it's a great, slightly deeper, electric blue with a metallic finish.

I've got 2 blue eye-liners. Firstly the Urban Decay 24/7 Glide On Eye Pencil in "Gonzo". This is a great lighter blue option, it's slightly metallic in finish and has a bit of shimmer. It's a slightly warmer blue that I love to wear on the lower lash line and we all know I love the Urban Decay formula.

For a slightly more budget blue I love the Rimmel Scandaleyes Waterproof Khol Kajal in "014 Bright Blue". This is a matte finish electric blue and I like this either smudged under the lower lash line, as a cat eye flick layered with a black liner to give a peek of colour, or as an eyeshadow base.

For blue eyeshadow, it's all about Urban Decay, I have a lighter option and a darker option. For those of you who like the lighter blues "Peace" from the Urban Decay Deluxe Palette is a great blue. I'm not sure if they still make this palette but the shade is still available as a single and very much like the "Gonzo" eyeliner, it's a light, slightly warm blue, metallic in finish.

My darker blue pick is from the Urban Decay Gwen Stefani Palette (which I do have a full review on) and it's the shade "Danger". This is a great dark blue, a lot of people are calling this a navy but I think it's a bit brighter than a navy. There's a duo chrome finish that gives it a bit more vibrancy and it's such a versatile smokey shade.

Empties: Round Four

So it's time for another empties post, and this time it's a big one. I'm not sure if I've left it a little longer this time around or something but there seems to be a lot more here than previous empties posts I've done. But without further a due, lets have a look through my beauty rubbish.

For body I have two scrubs this time around: the Mr Bean Coffee Bean Scrub in the Mandarin scent. While this was a really good scrub for exfoliating, I just can't get behind how much of a mess it leaves behind. The scrub is black and completely dry in the packet and it goes everywhere and leaves black muddy marks all over the place. My favourite scrub of the moment is one that I've also used up recently: the Soap & Glory Pulp Friction this stuff is amazing. It really clings to the skin as you use it and the scrubby particles are perfect, the scent is also really nice. I'm yet to find anything better.

For body cream the only thing I've used up this month is a mammoth container of the Soap & Glory Butter Yourself body cream. I love the texture of the Soap & Glory body creams but the "Butter Yourself" scent really isn't one of my favourites. Will pick up another but in a different scent next time. I also made my way through a Mayan Spa Reviving Body Wash. This just didn't lather up enough for me, much better shower gels available on the market.

I've gone through another Dove Invisible Dry deodorant. This was my deodorant of choice for a long time but after trialing something else, I'm having a break from the Dove. I've been trying out the Mitchum range after having used up a mini of the Mitchum Spray Deodorant on my trip to Amsterdam and I loved it.

I finished up my mini of the Therapie Himalayan Detox Salts. While I do think I'll be going back and picking up some more, I currently have a massive collection of bath things that I want to work through before I buy anymore. These are a great pre-bed-time bath product that really get you ready for a good nights sleep.

The Soap & Glory Mist You Madly Body Spray is something I've been really enjoying as a day-to-day fragrance that I'd wear to work and such. While I love my luxe perfumes they're just too expensive to be throwing on all the time so this has been great.

On my weekend trip to Ireland I knew I'd only need to be washing my hair once so I took one-use sachets of the R+Co Gemstone Colour Shampoo and Conditioner. I really enjoyed these and a full size of the shampoo in particular will be added to my stash soon.

A shampoo that I wasn't so keen on was the Kebelo Clarifying Shampoo. I got a sample size of this in a Birchbox a while back and it's just a bit too clarifying for me. A shampoo I'm definitely going back for is the Bumble And Bumble BB Hairdressers Invisible Oil Sulfate Free Shampoo. I love this shampoo as it leaves my hair clean but silky smooth.

Finally for hair I have a Co-Lab Extreme Volume Dry Shampoo in the Monaco scent. Now I really wanted to try some Co-Lab products but I think I made a duff choice as Ive heard a lot of people saying the extreme volume collection was once of their less-successful launches. I'd like to try one of the normal dry shampoos as this one left a white cast and made my hair feel really product-heavy and apparently, the regular ones don't do that - will check back on that one.

I have a few different bits of makeup to talk about this time around, first of all the Urban Decay Perversion Mascara and the Subversion Lash Primer. I loved the Perversion mascara as it was super black and made my lashes look lovely but for higher-end mascaras, I prefer the Clinique High Impact Mascara. The Subversion lash primer wasn't my favourite, but I don't normally get on with lash primers anyway.

Sadly my Nars Creamy Radiant Concealer in "Light 2 Vanilla" has come to an end. I love this concealer but I think I need there to be 1 shade light as Vanilla is a hair too dark for me. I've been using the Urban Decay Naked Skin Concealer more recently and that's a better shade match and it's very similar in formula. I've also gone through a whole bottle of Bourjois Healthy Mix Foundation in "N51 Light Vanilla". Again I loved the formula but the shade was a bit dark (come on brands! We pale folk need base products too!). Would repurchase if they brought out a lighter shade.

So now we're looking at my skincare empties and there's a whole lot of those this time too. Firstly we have a sample size of the Goldfaden MD Doctors Scrub. Not my favourite. I found this super harsh on my skin (it feels like it would be too much for my body, never mind my face), won't be using again. A sample size of the Bioderma Sébium H2O Micellar Solution has also found it's way into my empties bin. Again, not my favourite, I'd like to try the regular Bioderma micellar solutions but I preferred the Garnier one to this.

Another Yes To eye cream has been used up, this time it's the Yes To Carrots Moisturising Eye Cream. This is a lot creamier than the Yes To Cucumbers version but I don't think it was enough for me in terms of moisture. The skin under my eyes can get a bit dry at times and I need something a little more rich. I finally made my way through a whole bottle of the Superfacialist By Una Brennan Vitamin C Brighten Skin Renew Cleansing Oil. Already had a backup waiting once it started getting low. This is my favourite cleanser for makeup removal.

I've also finished off a whole Sarah Chapman Skinesis Intense Hydrating Booster. I did really enjoy this serum but for £59, it's a bit steep when for me, I like Indeed Lab Hydralyron just as much. The Sarah Chapman is a bit silkier and feels nicer going on as it's more liquid, but the indeed labs is less than half the price and give the same results for me.

And finally, we have two naughty skincare products. These products aren't in here because I used them to the end, they died on me. The Soap & Glory Off Your Face 3-in-1 Daily Purifying Cloths dried up before I could use all of them. I must admit I don't use face wipes very often but I don't expect them to dry up. And sadly, my REN Flash Rinse 1 Minute Facial seems to have gone off. I went t use it the other day and it had gone completely liquid and there was no way of it staying on my face. This was one of my favourite masks but I'm not sure about it if you have to use the whole tube really. I think I've only had it for around 5 months? :(

My 2015 Beauty Fails

So last week we talked about my favourite products from 2015, but today's post isn't going to be so positive.I'm talking about the products that didn't work for me over 2015 today.Now just because they didn't work for me, doesn't mean they won't work for you so I'll give you the ins-and-outs of why I didn't like them, but I think it's just as important to let you know about the stuff that doesn't work as it is to let you know about the stuff that does. So lets get going.

I know that mascara is a super subjective makeup product, we all seem to like different ones for different reasons but I have a few that really missed the mark for me this year. First up we have the Soap & Glory Thick & Fast Mascara, this just nothing for the length of my lashes and I like an all rounder, if you have long and thin lashes and you're just looking for volume, this might be a winner but I really didn't like it.

It's a similar story for the Beautenizer Fiberwig Mascara. This claims to be a "paint-on false lashes" mascara and it really wasn't for me. Again it was really nice for adding volume, but I didn't notice anything for length and I didn't appear to have anymore lashes than normal with this.

The Pür Volume Vixen mascara did absolutely nothing for me. No length, no volume, nothing. It's basically just a black tint for the lashes, so not impressed. And my final mascara fail was the Maybelline Colossal Volume Express Cat Eyes Mascara. The brush on this was bent beyond use and the formula did very little for me, I'll be sticking to my trusty Maxfactor favourite.

Some cream eyeshadows that I didn't get on with too well were the No7 Stay Perfect Shade and Define. The colours are lovely and pigmented but they don't stay long enough without being topped with a shadow. It's a shame but if the formula creases in a couple of hours there's no point in having pretty colours. The New Look Pure Colour Eyeshadow Pencils are also really pants. The formula creases, the shades are super sheer, really disappointing.

The Lord & Berry Polish Eye Pencil in "5071 - Mirror Black" wasn't quite a fail but it wasn't my favourite. It applies nice and creamy and the lasting power is fair, but for a higher-priced eyeliner I much prefer the Urban Decay 24/7 Eyeliners. Really, the formulas on the Rimmel Scandleyes Eyeliners and the Maybelline Master Drama Eyeliners are easily just as good if not better than the Lord & Berry ones.

For lip products that I really didn't get on with, the MUA Luxe Velvet Lip Lacquer in "Atomic" was my least favourite of all the lip products I think I've ever tried. The colour was too overpowering, the formula was very dry and crusty and flaked off my (definitely not dry or cracked) lips. If you have dry lips at all stay away from these, and even if your lips are in good shape there is so much better out there.

The Laqa & Co Cheeky Lip was also a bit of a fail for me. It was a bit uneven on application, it faded in a really non-flattering matter and the shade I have "Cray-Cray" didn't do much for my complexion. Finally for lip products, we have an entry from By Terry.

Now not all of the By Terry Aqua Tint Lip & Cheek are awful, I have a creamy orange one that I really enjoy, but a while back I picked up a duo that contained a red shade and I really don't understand who would like it. It's a lovely shade of red but it's laced with gold glitter and it's just a liquid stain. So no matter where you use it on the face you get a natural red stain but with this unusual overlay of gold glitter that looks completely out of place. For the price of these it's just such a disappointment as I have no idea how to make it work for me.

Finally for makeup we have the Maybelline Dream Sun Bronzing Power With Blush. This is such a chalky powder and there's very little in the way in the way of colour pay off. The bronzer gives off a sheer dusting of a very warm shade and the blush literally gives you nothing. Disappointing as Maybelline has some face powders with a great creamy formula and great payoff and this isn't their normal standard.

I have two skincare fails. Both have been mentioned in posts before so I won't go on about them too much but the KIKO Hydrating Mask wasn't very hydrating on my skin and it irritated my eyes during use. And finally The Skin System Overnight Blemish Serum was just bad. For £2 I didn't waste too much money on this one but it's full of alcohol and so drying on the skin that it would just drink up all of the moisture in my skin completely.

My 2015 Makeup Favourites

So I've spent an awful lot of time trying to plan out how I wanted this post to look. It's my first annual favourites post and I wanted to make it informative and interesting, but also appropriate for where my collection sits right now - I've been doing this whole blogging thing for almost a year now, but I'm still no where near an expert.

I love the annual favourites where things are laid out as the best in a certain category but, realistically, there would be gaps where I don't have a "Holy Grail" type product. I also think that format works better for vloggers and could get a bit lengthy and dull via blog post. So with all that in mind, I figured I'd just run over the products this year that have wowed me. There's no rhyme or reason and there's no "Best of" type set up, this is just the things I've loved most this year. So lets get going.

While I'm not sure I need to mention the Soap & Glory One Heck of a Blot Powder, when I thought "what's the one product I would go straight out and repurchase if it was lost/stolen/etc?" that was the only permanent product that came to mind. There will more than likely be a day that I stop harping on about this product, but that day is not today. If you're oily/combination or have any patches on your face where you struggle with oil control (for me it's my T-zone) this powder is great. While it doesn't leave me completely touch-up free all day, it's the longest lasting product I've found so far.

Another base product I've adored this year is the Urban Decay Naked Skin Concealer. I did begin the year with the Nars Creamy Radiance Concealer and that is very similar in texture. I just think the shade range is better on the Urban Decay and I was able to get a better skin-tone match with that one. Also, it's a tad cheaper than the Nars and the formulas are very comparable.

When I was thinking about coloured complexion products for this post, I got a bit stuck. I'm quite promiscuous when it comes to blush, bronzer and contour. I love my Nars One Shocking Moment Palette but I've still been using my L'Oreal True Match Blush and my Soap & Glory Solar Powder in rotation with it so it didn't quite make that top spot. Then I realised that whatever I'm contouring with, I always use the Charlotte Tilbury Powder and Sculpt Brush. It's just the perfect shape for chiselling out some cheek bones.

For eyes I have two slightly different products. The Maybelline Master Drama Khol Eyeliner Pencil has made it into this list because, While I do still use my Urban Decay 24/7 Eyeliner in "Perversion". I'm at the point where I'm just using it because I have it and it wasn't cheap. I think the Maybelline is just as good and won't be repurchasing the Urban Decay again once it runs out. (Although the colour selection on the UD is much better and I would still go to them for the out-there shades).

My other pick for eyes is one product where I thought "what's the one eyeshadow product that I'd be really upset to lose?" and it was the Nars Steven Klein Eyeshadow Single in "Stud". This would have been my "go straight out and repurchase" product had it not been a limited shade (please make it permanent Nars! We need more of this!). It's just the most beautiful, subtle but glitzy shade ever. It's a light bronze with a subtle almost greenish tone to it and then a super fine gold glitter running through it. The formula is lovely and creamy. It's stunning and I wear it constantly.

Finally, my least favourite decision of the whole post: the lip product. In this last year I've become somewhat of a lip product junkie so narrowing it down to a single product was quite tricky. In the end I just thought, "what have I reached for most throughout the whole year?" and from the very beginning of the year until the very end I'm sure it's got to have been the Lipstick Queen Big Bang Lipgloss in "Creation". Similarly to the Nars eyeshadow, it;s a neutral shade with something a little special. The formula is nice and comfortable, the colour is sheer but not too sheer and the shimmer to it is super pretty but also really fine and you can't feel it on the lips at all.

So there we have it, my makeup favourites for the year. Next up is skincare, see you on Wednesday!

My Top 5 Festive Lip Picks

So as Christmas day gets closer and closer (one week to go!) I figured I'd go over my festive season lip product picks. The Christmas Day lipstick choice is my ultimate first-world problem because I'm the girl that wants it all with a lip product but even if you're on a chilled out Christmas day this year, I think I have a suggestion for you.

So for the girl who wants it all, I have two suggestions. We're obviously going red here and if you want that bright red lip on Christmas day I'd go for the Bourjois Rouge Edition Velvet in "Hot Pepper". It's a matte finish liquid lipstick that's comfortable but wont end up all over your face when you tuck into your Christmas dinner, and the bright red shade is super festive. If that's a little in-your-face for you, the Nars Velvet Matte Lip Pencil in (you guessed it) "Cruella" is a sligtly deeper red but is still comfortable and budge proof.

If you want to go red but staying power isn't a concern (maybe you're having Christmas dinner at home then going to visit friends/family later?) then MAC's Lustre Lipstick in "Lady Bug" is a beaut. A slightly sheer, true red that's nice and glossy and almost balm-like on the lips, t;s the perfect balance between pretty and comfortable.

If red isn't your thing I think the Rimmel The Only One Lipstick in "700 Naughty Nude" would be a nice pick. It's comfortable and wears away evenly so, again, no need to worry about it going everywhere but it's a nice polished nude. If a gloss is more your thing the NYX Butter Gloss in "Tiramisu" is practically the same shade in gloss form, but that would be a sneaky 6th suggestion.

My final pick is for the lazy Christmas day. If your Christmas involves onsies, presents, food and general not-leaving-the-house, may I suggest the NUXE Rêve De Miel Lip Balm. If you're going makeup free this Christmas, the cold weather might still mean that your lips could do with some TLC and this is my favourite lip balm. AND it tastes pretty much like lemon drizzle cake.

The (More) Affordable Beauty Gift Guide (£15-£35)

So I feel I need to prefix this post with a: this is my "more affordable" gift guide because my next one is £35+. So while I know some people wouldn't call up to £35 "affordable" it's more affordable than my luxe guide, if that makes sense?

If £15-£35 is out of your budget, head back to my Friday post from last week which focusses on beauty gifts that are under £15, and if you want to spend a little more I have a luxe list coming up this Friday so check back for that/ I just wanted to make sure that I've got most peoples budgets covered in this series. I was trying to keep these posts to 10 items but this category had a lot of really amazing bits and I just couldn't whittle down the list that much so while the other instalments are 10, this one is 15. So lets get going.

I mentioned them in my "Under £15 Gift Guide" and I'll mention them again, for the girl who loves a nice relaxing bath: the Aromatherapy Associates Bath Jewels is the medium instalment in their Christmas releases this year and it's lovely. With 3, 9ml bottles of their amazing bath oils this is a nice treat for £28. The set includes the scents "Deep Relax", "Revive Morning" and "De-Stress Mind".

If you're wanting to gift a simple but lush set of skin saviours, the Kiehl's Pamper Yourself Body Gift Set has you covered. For £30 you get a 125ml Créme De Corps, a 75ml Ultimate Strength Hand Salve, a 30ml Ultra Facial Cleanser and a 30ml Ultra Facial Moisturiser.

Now the Charlotte Tilbury K.I.S.S.I.N.G Mini Lipstick Trio nearly had a place in this lineup but after seeing it, while the mini lipsticks are cute and the packaging looks great, the shade selection it includes is (in my opinion) pretty poor. "So Marilyn" "Penelope Pink" and "Bitch Perfect" are the shades included and the only one I personally would wear out of the 3 is "So Marilyn", so maybe check the colours out first. I personally think if you're wanting to gift some Charlotte Tilbury this year, one of her full sized lipsticks would be a way better choice, her Matte Revolution Lipsticks and the K.I.S.S.I.N.G Lipsticks are both available for £23 a piece and you can pick the perfect shade that way.

I've loved the Soap & Glory "Sugar Crush" range ever since it launched so I was super excited to find their The Zest A Girl Can Get set for £16 in Boots. It contains a 300ml bottle of their Sugar Crush Body Wash, a 300ml pot of the Sugar Crush Body Butter Cream, 100ml of the Sugar Crush Body Spray and a little pink rubber duck. I think it's really great value for money compared to the Get A Smooth On set (the larger "Sugar Crush" gift set this year) simply because that one is £35 so £19 more expensive and for that you get 1 extra product, and then a bit more of the Body Wash (200ml more) and the Body Butter Cream (50ml more).

If the lip lover in your life prefers a lip gloss, my favourite lipgloss range ever has been made into a Christmas quartet this year and it looks amazing. The Lipstick Queen Galactic Gorgeous set contains 4 of their Big Bang Lip Glosses in the shades "Infinite", "Energy", "Black Hole" and my personal favourite shade "Creation". The lip glosses are miniatured but considering for the full size you pay £22 and here you get 4 minis for £20 I think it's a great deal. These lip glosses are smooth and balmy on the lips and shimmery but not chunky, love.

For the lip lover who wants a bit of everything the Clarins Lip Collection "Perfect Lips" set is lovely. For £20 you get a mini (1.4g) Rouge Eclat Lipstick in the shade "13 Rosewood," a mini (2.5ml) Gloss Prodige in "04 Candy" and 2 mini (5ml) Instant Light Natural Lip Perfector lip balms in "06 Rosewood Shimmer" and "01 Rose Shimmer".

I love the Urban Decay 24/7 Eyeliners and their christmas set is always something that catches my eye. This year there's two collections of the Urban Decay 24/7 Glide On Eyeliner Set and they're £25 each. The "Delirious" set comes with their "Perversion" (matte black), then "Muse" (brown), "Accuse" (blue), "Zodiac" (green) and "Delirious" (purple). If neutrals are more your thing, the "Cosmic" set includes "Zero" (slightly lighter black), "Stag" (dark brown), "Supply" (medium brown), "Trick" (copper) and "Cosmic" (white).

Another pick from Clarins would be their Body Care Collection "Spa Treats" Gift Set. For £30 this contains a full sized Tonic Bath & Shower Concentrate, 30ml of the Tonic Body Treatment Oil, a 30ml tube of their Moisture Rich Body Lotion, a 100ml bottle of the Exfoliating Body Scrub and a 50ml Hand and Nail Treatment Cream. The Bath and Shower Concentrate is £20 alone so when you break it down the set is a really good value.

NYX has finally made it over to the UK while it's not a Christmas release, I think that their Butt Naked Eyes Palette would make a really great gift. For £20 you get 4 blush shades, 2 highlights, a bronzer and 15 shadows. It's every colour cosmetic you need in one compact palette.

Then my final makeup gift for this category would be the By Terry Ombre Blackstars. At £29 each they're a proper treat type product, but they're lovely and if you know someone who's into eyeshadow, they need to at least try one of these. Anyone looking for shade recommendations: "Misty Rock", every time.

I have two candle picks for this post and the first is the Jar Candles from Yankee Candle. Depending on the size you go for these will set you back up to £21.99 a piece but can often be found on some kind of deal. My favourites are "Christmas Cookie", "Candy Cane Lane" and "Fluffy Towels", but they do a whole host of scents so there should be something for everyone. They also have sets of Two Medium Jars this year for £27.99.

If you're looking for a more indulgent candle option then the Diptique Scented Candles, they have 3 holiday released this year "Sapin", "Oliban" and "Liquidambar" which are all £28 for the 70g size. Alternatively, their standard collection candles are £20 for the 70g, my favourite is their "Tubereuse" scent but I know "Figuier", "Baies" and "Ambre" are all popular scents in the line.

Now for skincare gifts, I struggled in this category. Brands this year have really gone to town with their miniatures and their tree trinket gifts but the majority of these are under £15, and then for the most part the actual sets are above that £35 price limit, but I did find a couple of nice bits. The REN Pure Glow Trio Kit is at the top end of the budget at £35, and contains 100ml of their Rosa Centifolia Purity Balm, the Glycolactic Radiance Renewal Mask and their Flash Rinse 1 Minute Facial Mask. I've only seen this on Space NK and I'm not sure if the picture is just misleading but the desciption says you get 50ml of the Glycolactic and 20ml of the Flash Rinse, but in the picture the Flash Rinse seems to be the 50ml product and the Glycolactic seems to be 20ml. Either way, both are great.

Skyn Iceland have a lovely little skincare set this holiday season in their Skin Hangover Kit. So if you know someone who could probably use a hangover remedy on Boxing Day morning this might be a nice pick for them. At £17.50 it's a decent price and you get a nice selection of Skyn Iceland products. The kit includes two pairs of the Hydro Cool Firming Eye Gels, an Icelandic Relief Eye Pen, two Fresh Start Face Masks and an Antidote Cooling Daily Lotion (which conveniently isn't sold separately, thus the lack of clicky link).

And then really, I thought that this price bracket was a good one for just getting a full size of something for the skincare lover in your life. Loads of my favourite skincare items are in the £15-£35 bracket like the Oskia Renaissance Cleansing Gel (£28), Indeed Labs Hydraluron (£24.99) or the Pixi Glow Tonic (£18).

The Beauty Stocking Fillers Guide (Beauty Gifts Under £15)

So to kick things off with my Beauty Christmas Gift Guide I thought I'd start with the lower-cost options and move into more indulgent items as we go along. So today we're looking at gifts under £15, on Wednesday next week I have gift ideas between £15 and £35, and if that's not indulgent enough for you, check back Friday next week for my gift ideas over £35.

So the product that kicked off my skincare obsession was the Emma Hardie Amazing Face Moringa Cleansing Balm, and this year she's released a tree ornament gift with a mini 15ml pot of this amazing cleanser for £10. It's cute (if a little bit of an awkward shape to wrap) and contains a decent amount of an amazing product. So if you know someone who's either into skincare and hasn't tried this, or loves the cleanser and could do with a travel size, I think this would be a good pick.

Last year I was gifted a set from Aromatherapy Associates and that's where my love for their products was born. They've released a mini bottle of one of their scents in a tree ornament for the last few years and this year their The Star gift contains a 9ml bottle of their "Revive Morning" scent. For £10 it's a more affordable way to gift someone the Aromatherapy experience and I just love these.

In-keeping with the Christmas tree ornament theme I also have a body pick that you can hang on your tree: the L'Occiatane Verbena Festive Ornament. I haven't tried everything in this set out yet (although I must admit, it's a gift to self) but I have tried the Verbena Body Lotion and it's a lovely thin texture that instantly absorbs but that leaves the skin hydrated. The set also includes the Verbena Shower Gel, the Verbena Cooling Hand Cream Gel and the Soap With Verbena Leaves and the scent on this stuff is insanely good, reminiscent of sorbet lemon sweets.**

** Eek! I picked this set up last week and it's already sold out! Sorry! This one is very similar but sadly just a bit over the £15 limit - LINK and I've linked the individual products above - most are under £15 each.

My last tree-trinket gift is the Philip Kingsley Geranium and Neroli Elasticizer Duo. Does what it says on the tin essentially, it's a little ornament that contains two 40ml bottles of the geranium and neroli scented hair mask. So for £12 you actually get more product in this set than you do in their full sized product (75ml) and that's priced at £18.

Possibly my favourite little kit this year is the REN Glow and Go gift set. For £14 you get a 20ml Flash Rinse 1 Minute Facial and a 20ml Glycolactic Radiance Renewal Mask. These are two of my all time favourite masks and it would be a great way to let someone trial them.

It's not quite Christmas until Space NK bring back their Shimmering Spice Candle, The 75g one is £15 (but I suppose if you wanted to you could pick up the bigger one for £25) and it just smells like Christmas. It's spicy and sweet with a sugary cinnamon type scent that I just love, and the glass jar that it comes in is so beautifully packaged.

And then the rest of the picks here are just regular available-all-year-long type items that I think would make lovely gifts. For example the L'Oreal La Palette Nude or any of the items in their La Palette range are nice for £14.99. You get a whole host of shades and the quality of the shadows is nice, and they don't look cheap by any means, they could easily slap a high end name on this and it wouldn't look out of place at all.

You could create your own bathing gift with a gift box and a few pieces from Lush's bath range. Their Bath Bombs, Bath Melts and Bubble Bars are lovely and range from around £2-£6 a piece. If you picked out 2-4 from the range that would create a lovely thoughtful gift from under £15.

Similarly to the L'Oreal pick, some of the palettes Revolution have been putting out lately are lovely and quite a few of them look more expensive than they are. These range from £4-£8 and you can pick up everything from eyeshadow palettes to blush and face powders. My favourites are the Highlighter Palette in "Radiance" (£8) and the Icon Blush Bronze & Bright Flush (£4). The Redemption Palettes are also really nice for £4 but I think these look less expensive than the other picks.

And finally, we have another makeup item that looks more luxury than it costs. I think that KIKO's range of lipsticks are amazing value for money. Their Intensely Lavish, Velvet Mat Lipsticks, Luscious Cream, Luminous Chrome and Crystal Sheer formulas are all £6.90 and as well as the formula being top notch, the packaging these are housed in looks and feels so high-end. They have magnetic closures, buttons you push to remove the lids and they're weighed nicely as well. Unbelievable quality for the price. Their Cosmic Starlets Collection also has sets where you get a lipstick and either a lip pencil or a nail polish for £10.90.

November Favourites

So with the 30 Lips Challenge over I'm back to my usual schedule of Monday, Wednesday and Friday posts (because as much as I love writing posts, a post everyday when you work full time is just really difficult to keep up with). And despite my manic lip-product-testing extravaganza, I still managed to find a few products I've been using and enjoying pretty consistently this month.

So my absolute favourite of this month has to be the Steven Klein for Nars One Shocking Moment Blush Palette, I did a dedicated review post to this in late October when I first got the palette which you can find: here. All in all, I love it. It's everything you need for colour complexion colours from contouring/highlighting, bronzing and there's a good selection of blush colours in there too. Everything else in my cheeks drawer this month has been feeling pretty lonely since this hit my collection.

Another pick from the Steven Klein for Nars collection that I've spent the month falling in love with is the Single Eyeshadow in "Stud". This is an absolutely amazing shade and it's quite unique as well. It's a wearable cool taupe shade with flecks of glitter running through it that I can imagine looking great on most skin/eye colours. I just love how it's so wearable but it still manages to have that "wow" factor about it too.

For skincare I've been gravitating to a lot of exfoliating products and I've been using the Pixi Glow Tonic at least every other day, it's gentle enough to use morning/night but still leaves the skin feeling smooth and it still manages to have a light, pleasant scent to it. I can see this being a staple in my skincare stash.

When i want something that packs a bit more of a punch for exfoliation, I've been going for the REN Glycolactic Radiance Renewal Mask. This mask doesn't smell the best and it doesn't have the "pampering yourself" feeling because it's so gloopy and sticky on the skin, but as soon as I take it off my skin feels amazing. If I use this before I go to bed I see a noticeable difference to the look and feel of my skin the next day and I've just been really impressed with this product lately.

And finally, since November is my birthday month and I generally have a lot going on, I like to take a bit of time off to pamper myself, get my Christmas shopping sorted and generally sort my life out a bit, and since I've been having a couple more lazy morning than usual this month I've made a dent in my Sarah Chapman Skinesis Morning Facial. I think it's a bit heavy to wear under makeup but if you're having a day in the house or you're going to be doing your makeup later on in the day this is lovely. It smells great as you massage it into your skin and just gives a nice amount of hydration and glow to the skin. Facial oils are a winter skincare essential for me and this is a really nice one.

30 Lips in 30 Days - Natural Collection Moisture Shine Lipstick

So this is it, day 30 of the 30 lips challenge. Today we've got a super affordable option of the Natural Collection Moisture Shine Lipstick. I have heard a few good things about the line so I wanted to see if these were any good because, at £1.99 a piece, these could be a really nice addition to your collection. The shade selection is wide but there's nothing too out there in the collection, lots of neutral shades along with some berries and reds, I have shade "Raspberry" and it's a your-lips-but-better type medium pink.

The packaging seems to be where they've saved money because I must admit it's really cheap looking and a bit flimsy. That being said, the formula on these is actually really nice, they're opaque without being too thick and very very creamy so they're very comfortable on the lips. The one thing about the formula is that, because it's so creamy, the lasting time isn't great and these will need to be maintained through the day.

30 Lips in 30 Days - NYX Soft Matte Lip Cream

As promised, another pick from the NYX Cosmetics line, today we have their Soft Matte Lip Cream in the shade "08 - San Paulo". Again, like their Butter Gloss the colour of the packaging reflects the colour of the product and the detailing on the packaging is matte black, the NYX packaging is almost Nars'esque in it's sleekness. "San Paulo" is a mid-tone matte pink that lies somewhere between a red-pink and a fuchsia shade.

The Soft Matte Lip Creams are smooth and creamy to apply and go on with a slight hint of glossiness and then dry down to a matte finish. They do take a little while to set and so can be smudged within a few minutes of application and even once they've set, moisture will make them fade quicker so if you're drinking or anything like that this will need to be retouched through the day.

30 Lips in 30 Days - NYX Butter Gloss

When I heard that NYX Cosmetics was hitting Boots I was jump-up-and-down type excited. I'v heard so much in the blog-o-sphere about NYX but they were near impossible to find in-store in the UK and even places that shipped online weren't great for us. I just picked up a couple of bits to begin with and the Butter Gloss in "Tiramisu" made the first cut. The packaging is nice with the very well colour co-ordinated lid for each shade and the clear plastic tube so you can see the colour of the product and the doe-foot applicator is nice and small so it's easy to apply.

The formula feels a lot like a liquid lip balm, thin and moisturising and really comfortable, my lips actually still feel hydrated after the product wears off which I love. Despite the product being so thin in texture the pigmentation is nice, these are still a lipgloss so they aren't going to be completely opaque but there is a nice amount of colour on the lips and you will be able to see a difference in each shade. I have heard that these glosses can sometimes be a bit streaky but "Tiramisu" doesn't seem to be for me. Very excited to see more from the brand after trying this product. Anyone with recommendations/requests for reviews from NYX let me know in comments!

30 Lips in 30 Days - Eyes Lips Face Mineral Lipstick

So I think by now most people that are into beauty have heard of Elf (or Eyes Lips Face) Cosmetics and know that they're an affordable US brand that have been delivering internationally for a good few years now. I think Elf has some really great products and the Mineral Lipsticks are a good pick if you haven't tried much from them before. They've got a good bit of moisture to them so they're super comfortable on the lips and the staying power is pretty good too.

The shade I have is "6710 Cheerful Cherry" and it's a lovely, slightly deeper red. I'd recommend blotting down a bit with this particular shade just because the deep colour will make it obvious should you accidentally catch your lip and drag the colour outside the lip line but it doesn't seem to feather from what I've seen. There's a decent colour range in this formula and the packaging is quite sleek looking with the matte black tube.

30 Lips in 30 Days - KIKO Intensely Lavish Lipstick

I'll say this from the off - if you're looking for an absolute bargain of a lip product, you need look no further than the KIKO Intensely Lavish Lipstick range. These are unbelievable, especially for the price (£6-£7). These lipsticks are packaged in a weighty, rose gold effect lipstick tube with a magnetic close and they look and feel like a high-end product.

I have the shade "05" which is a mid-tone pink-y berry shade and if I did have one complaint about this lipstick is would be that the colours are just numbered rather than named but it's a small detail. The formula is a creamy satin finish that's comfortable and the product stays for a long time and doesn't leave you with any weird lip-liner looks. All round a great product and I'm already looking into getting more shades from the range.

30 Lips in 30 Days - Benefit Benebalm

So a bit of a weekend face here and I think the Benefit Benebalm is a nice pick for a weekend because it's very much that sheer, sheeny, low-maintenance look that people seem to want for a weekend. It's a light, moisturising formula that chapped lips will probably appreciate and it doesn't seem to cling to the lips at all. This will need to be reapplied if you want to maintain the colour/texture on the lips but wont leave any kind of lip line at all as it fades. It also has that typical benetint rose sent to it which I personally really enjoy.

The packaging is nice but for the price I was expecting the tube to be weighter and more substantial. I do think that as much as the product is a nice formula, there's plenty of products on the market that are comparable and for me it just doesn't stand out enough for a higher-end lipbalm. I'd say the Maybelline Baby Lips in "Cherry" is very similar.

30 Lips in 30 Days - NYC Liquid Lipstain

Day 4 and back to budget with the NYC Smooch Proof Liquid Lip Stain. The packaging on this is nice for a budget product, a classic black lid doe-foot applicator with a colour-co-ordinated lipgloss tube type of set up. The one bug bare I have with it is that the writing smudges off on your hand as you hold the product and leaves you with black ink-y hands which isn't great.

I'm pretty sure the shade I have is "100 - Faithful Coral" but the shade names don't seem to be on the packaging which can be annoying if you need to repurchase. It's a soft orangey neutral shade that shows up quite sheer on the lips but can be built up to a decent colour pay off and the lasting power is decent. It's very water-y upon application but does dry down to a matte finish which becomes more drying the longer you wear it so not a good option for those with dry lips.

The Friday Review: Nars One Shocking Moment Blush Palette

For the last few years Nars has released a limited edition blush palette as part of one of their autumn collections, and or the past few years, it sold out before I managed to get my hand on it. This year I signed up to the mailing list and I ordered it the second I got the email and I couldn't have been more pleased when it turned up on my doorstep last week. It's my first experience with Nars' base products and the palette contains a lot of permanent shades so I figured I'd give you the run down.

The packaging for the palette is lovely, nice and sturdy feeling and it has one of those "good click" closes that seems to be all important in the beauty blogging world. The lid of the palette is nicely decorated with a photograph (pictured above) with a text overlay. When you open the palette the lid is a big mirror and there's 7 products inside, four of which are Blush in: "Robotic" (limited edition), "Blasphemy" (limited edition), "Luster" (permanent) and "Dolce Vita" (permanent), there's also the "Paloma" Contour Blush Duo, and a Bronzing Powder in "Laguna" which is twice the size of the other powders in the palette.

In terms of value, I paid £49 for the palette and can't find any information on the value in pounds but Sephora are advertising this at $69 with a $169 value and looking at the amount of product you get in here, I can see that being about right. The blushes are all 3.5g of product (full size are 4.5g so slightly down sized), the contour blush duo is 3.5g each (full size is 2.7g and 5.5g so slightly more highlight and slightly less contour) and the bronzer is 8.5g (full size is 8g so slightly smaller than the palette size)

The two limited edition blush shades "Robotic" and "Blasphemy" are pinky shades with shimmer. "Robotic" is quite a subtle hint of blush that will play nice with a bolder lip look while "Blasphemy" is a slightly bolder blush, it's a mid-tone pink that will give more of a blushed look to the cheeks but it's still very wearable.

The permanent blush shades are nice as well. "Luster" looked like a shade I didn't think I'd get much use out of but after actually wearing it I can safely say it's my favourite out of all the products in the palette, it's a nice peachy bronze-y shade on the cheeks and is good to warm up a lighter skin tone. "Dolce Vita" is the boldest blush in the palette and will give the cheeks that winter-y "I've just been out in the cold" type flush and used lightly on the skin it's really pretty.

Looking at the shades in the palette to me there's something for every season, "Robotic" will be a spring-time staple, "Luster" will give you that summer time golden goddess look, "Blasphemy" will work well for autumn and then "Dolce Vita" is a nice winter blush pick. My only complaint with the blush shades is that everything's a bit shimmery, if they'd thrown in at least one matte shade I think that would have balanced things out a bit better.

Out of all the products in the palette, the Contour Blush Duo was my least favourite. On me the highlight shade looks like a normal setting powder, but if you're of a medium skin tone the highlight might actually show up on you. The contour shade was also a little out, it's just a bit too warm, even the bronzing shade looks cool toned beside it. I'd rather use "Laguna" lightly to contour and use the contouring shade in place of bronzer. I was a littler worried that "Laguna" would be way too dark on me at first but providing I use a light hand with it I can just about get away with it.

The palette is available now on narscosmetics.com and sephora.com and is also available for pre-order from Space NK.