Halloween Makeup: Red Jesterina

Happy Halloween, folks! 

I'm well aware for some it's just the October finale and another day trying to adjust to the clock change, the 5pm moon rise and the drastic drop in temperature but for me it's my favourite time of the year; a real opportunity to release my inner child, to spend unnecessary money on tacky novelty accessories, to gorge on too many sweets, carve pumpkins (badly), sit in watching classic horrors with candles burning and Thriller playing, take advantage of the dark, eery, breaching cosy atmosphere, and most of all get creative with fancy dress and play about with makeup - both new and old.

Latest In: My New Makeup Additions

I don't think there's any better feeling than replenishing both your beauty filled soul and your already over crowded makeup bag with - yep you guessed it - more makeup. It's always my pick me up and quick fixing cure to any downfalls in life; splurging on a few bits and bobs to A) switch your usual routine around and introduce some new brands, new shades, new ethics, and even a complete new, tweaked appearance into your daily ritual, and B) to just make yourself feel better, knowing you can put on a mask packed with glimmering pigment, golden coverage, and a general enhancement to your natural features so you can feel as confident as you do with a Snapchat filter permanently attached to your face (because there's nothing quite like a pretty panda transformation for some well needed compliance.)

Heal Spa Harrogate: The New Place To Be

Healing. It takes time, it takes patience, it takes strength and it takes caring for yourself tentatively. With the newest spot in the tasteful town of Harrogate that process can be made easier to manage as it mixes beauty and relaxation with health, medical and wellness treatments. Heal Spa not only looks as though you've stepped foot into an interior dream but it provides the enriching therapy designed to rejuvenate your body into a dreamlike state!

The Skincare Miracle: Caudalie Vine[Activ]

Highlighters To Achieve That Radiant Winter Glow

There's nothing, and I mean nothing, I love more than a sun kissed, healthy glow amid a season where gloom is focal and natural lustre is all but a sidelined peripheral. During the winter days the lack of lighting can feel like a misfortune but it doesn't mean your face has to suffer. For what is missing from the outdoors, you can compensate for in illuminating makeup products because let's be real, when does makeup ever not solve a problem? (Apart from the dreaded 'sorry, we're sold out, sign up to receive an email when it's back in stock' notice that only adds to the mess, of course.)

My collection consists of many different products (because apparently I like to achieve the highest standard of rosy and golden as possible) but I managed to haul through my stash to pick out my favourites - in the range of powders, liquids and even a mix of both to brighten up any grey day. 

The Products I'm Currently Testing

As a blogger I'm lucky enough to receive beauty samples left, right and centre but I have to be careful because if I throw them into my blog basket (yes, the products have taken up residence in their very own designated space) then I can easily forget about all the new, exclusive luxuries I have to trial and eventually indulge in. That is until I give myself a shake and my room a revamp and rediscover those bits and bobs absent from my routine. Recently, I've been testing out a random bunch from various brands and I've loved the alternative introduction to my usual. It's been a while since I've mixed it up and I've really valued the change as well as the advances.

What I Got For Christmas

We're nine days into January now so Christmas seems like a distant memory, or at least to the people who have actually found the time and place to store their gifts instead of just staring at the heaped blockade hoping it'll eventually rearrange itself (ahem, I'm totally not referencing myself, here). I haven't seen many of these posts lurking around this year (or last year, whichever you prefer as you program your brain functioning) so that made me even more hesitant to list my presents but I figured if you're anything like me, you won't take sharing as bragging but instead sharing as caring because if there's ever a time to demonstrate curiosity meets nosiness it's in the post Christmas - still finding an overkill of glitter all over the house - period. 

A New Years Eve Party Glam Makeup Look

In my eyes, even as I grow to become a bit of a scrooge - Christmas isn't over until it transcends into New Year. The tree and the trimmings aren't taken down until you've ended the festive celebrations with that final piece of sparkle and glam, and once the clock strikes midnight it's a chance to show off the potential of your passed year as a whole. Whether you're out partying, with the company of prized friends, following on with family bonding, embracing the fireworks, or you're sat at home in your pyjamas with zero plans telling yourself you'll start your diet in January (like me most years), the option is still open for you to make the most of the last day of the year. If your decision is to go wild, or enjoy it from your home comforts, you can still use the 31st as an excuse to make yourself look and feel amazing to ensure you go out with a bang!

Five Paul Mitchell Gift Sets You Need In Your Life This Christmas

If you're an avid reader of my blog you'll know I'm extremely fond of Paul Mitchell and their luxury hair care range and I'm lucky to receive a bi monthly box featuring a variety of their products - so the discovery of new favourites to add to my 'this will certainly be an indulgent treat to make my locks feel, smell, and look deluxe divine' continues to increase as I speak. I have many gift sets lying around waiting to be trialled and adored (because one duo seriously does go hell of a long way and they're all queued up ready to be used when the other is finished) and I don't think I appreciate the quality of them enough. Not only is the inside contents bound to sensually uplift your hair spirits, but the outer packaging of the Paul Mitchell kits are always so fetching and full of character. Totally supreme for providing the gift of beauty to any loved one as Christmas rolls in, or even ideal for treating yourself once the period of buying for others is over (because let's face it - purchasing, then watching your neatly wrapped present be ripped open followed by lightened eyes and a ton of gratitude is the most satisfying part). Christmas is a time for joy, peace, love and giving, and there's nothing like some sparkle in the form of heavenly hair care to make that happen.

My New CID Cosmetics Collection

Hello you fine folk, remember me? It actually feels like I haven't blogged in years (okay, it's only been 13 days but still) I seem to have slipped off the wagon for a while and I'm not putting the blame on anyone but myself. October has been a manic month; I've been caught up in real life, I've sat down at my laptop numerous times with a page open in front of me only to stare back at a loss of motivation and a blank mind, and truthfully, my innovative ideas were second to none. BUT I'm back, and it feels so good to get back into the swing of things.

NYX Cosmetics: A Shameless Splurge

Ever since NYX Cosmetics arrived in the UK I've been sucked into the hype; no longer do I have to yearn from a northern distance or consider jumping on a plane to America, I can just head down to my local Boots' and there's an entire stand dedicated to my habit of breaking the bank with nothing but beauty. I'd heard a lot about NYX but was dying to try them out for myself - with the wide range available, all at an affordable price with prime quality I got stuck in well and truly and the entirety of ,my makeup stash has been filled with nothing but. I'm not even gonna apologise.

Summer Beauty Saviours

Did you survive the heatwave? Yes? Good. It's hard work dealing with temperatures past a certain point isn't it - especially when that point is sitting out in the garden at 10pm because the brisk of air is cooler than your front room with all the windows open and a house representing Bug's Life. When it's hot in Britain, it's hard to handle so imagine how parched your skin gets in its daily exposure to sun (okay, what I really mean is when you're on holiday or enjoying the three days of warm weather at home). 

Instant Effects: The Lip, Eyes and Lash Review

In this day and age, the beauty industry is widening to the extremes. Gone is the acceptance of our not so perfectly rounded features and a three pound lip-gloss from a magazine doing the trick in your daily makeup routine, and hello are the following of trends, constantly wanting to evolve and enhance our natural elements with expensive cosmetics and sometimes, even surgical procedures. That's not necessarily a bad thing, I say go ahead and make yourself feel amazing if you have the funds and really do want to make a change to small part of you that will expand your confidence positively. I, personally, however, would be an absolute wuss and I'd chicken out purely at thought of it going horribly wrong and ending up resembling Pete Burns meets Chewbacca. This is where Instant Effects comes into the equation. When I received an email informing me of the range of products that deliver targeted treatments without the need for any extensive add ons, I jumped at the chance. I was kindly sent the trio but in no way was I obliged to promote - I've just loved using them so much that I had to share my views on this breakthrough phenomenon!

Three Years Of The Same Old Chic (and a giveaway)

Guys, I did it!

Beauty: Under Eye Corrector, I Found A Dupe!

Since discovering Bobbi Brown's miracle working corrector, it's become my holy grail product and my fragile eye area deprived of precious napping hours suffers greatly when I don't apply it generously (in other words, I frighten the outside world with my purple coloured bags and grumpiness caused by lack of sleep). The corrector has the immediate ability to neutralise the darker hues embedded in the crease of your under eyes with its pinky peachy tones. Just one sweep of the concealer-like consistency and it brightens the entire section. Really, there are no faults; it stays put all day, works with other cosmetics applied to the face afterwards or before and doesn't dry with a caking appearance. The only problem is, for the size, the price is a little hefty and with my growing expensive tastes in beauty, I can't always afford to keep repurchasing after I sometimes - probably too often - overuse in attempt to drown out any signs of fatigue. It's a vicious cycle where my best feature is concerned!

Salon Success Styling Society Box: Rare Marula Oil

If you cast your mind back to February where I introduced the first instalment of my Styling Society box, then you'll remember I'm lucky enough to be sent some deluxe products during a bi-monthly period, revolving around a theme and blessing me with gracious hair to be boastful about whilst doing so. This month was a completely different focus compared to February's 'no animal testing' but one which I'm equally thrilled with and I was privileged enough to preview the range before it became available to the public at the beginning of April so basically, it's an exclusive to the insiders (or at least I can keep telling myself I'm of great importance, ahem.)

Oil Pulling - My Minty Coco Experience

*14 Day Course - C/O Minty Coco

I'll be brutally honest here, I hate my teeth. I don't want to sound like a repetitive self-loather but it's the truth and I've always been conscious of them throughout my youth. You'll rarely see me with a goofy smile, instead it will be replaced with a stern pout and my signature resting bitch face (whoops). It's not just the fact they aren't the straightest of sets; it's the way my mouth awkwardly curves up in an odd shape, my chubby chipmunk cheeks come out to say hello and of course, the colouring doesn't exactly match up to those you see on the likes of TOWIE.

My Yorkshire Blow Dry Experience

I get to visit some pretty awesome places courtesy of this little online empire of mine but an hour and half of my time spent on leather seating staring back at my illuminated reflection is without a doubt the most elated I've been to get home and write up all the positives that made last Wednesday a cheery day indeed. I was lucky enough to be booked into Yorkshire Blow Dry - a brand new blow dry bar exclusive to Leeds, located slap bang in the heart of the city - readily available to treat you to the ultimate pampering experience for any occasion. As I was already in town for a later food tasting event (which was another exquisite encounter may I add) I decided it'd be the perfect opportunity to have my mane tamed, refreshed and transformed before I head off to eat my own body weight in Mexican food. Pure bliss!

The Charlotte Tilbury Vintage Vamp Palette: A Red Toned Makeup Look

I enjoy make-up. My expensive tastes are arising which means I don't always have access to the cosmetics I've saved in the note section of my phone from the influencing vloggers but experimentally enjoying make-up and aiming to improve my amateur skills is a canon fact. My everyday make-up usually consists of the same products, maybe an eyeshadow colour switch up here and there but ultimately, I'm a plain Jane throughout the week. That's why when on the extremely rare occasion I go out, I like to up the glam level and really spend time making an effort; bring out the high quality stuff and feel a million dollars (opposed to the trashy look I'd secretly like to be rocking whilst sat at home in my pjs).

Leeds Lush Spa Event: Tales Of Bath and an introduction to Spring

It's no secret Lush blogger events are my ultimate favourite pastime on a hump day night; with the VIP feel, the welcoming warmth of the staff and uncountable opportunities to worship the array of colourful and irresistibly influencing bath, hair, body and skin collections. SO, when another opportunity arose to attend my second Lush Spa therapy insight for their new treatment 'Tales Of Bath', as well as awing in the #LushSpring range, how could I possibly turn it down? (truthfully, that ain't ever gonna happen).