Ooh La La: Paris edp by Victoria's Secret...

Paris is the new limited edition fragrance for Christmas, and was the official fragrance for the 2016 Victoria's Secret Fashion Show. It is officially described as being a festive, crisp and fresh fragrance inspired by Parisian gardens during winter and the glittery scene of the Eiffel Tower covered with snow. 

My mother went to New York for a Christmas shopping trip in 2012 and bought me that year's festive fragrance release [Bombshell Diamonds] from Victoria's Secret, and I also have and really enjoy last year's Christmas fragrance release [Winter Bombshell] from them, so I couldn't wait to visit a Victoria's Secret store to try this year's offering. But do I think that it something worth rushing out for to put under your Christmas tree or snapping up in the upcoming January sales, or is it something I think of as too samey to their past festive fragrances?

Tis the season: Joan Collins Timeless Beauty Eyeshadow Quad in Moody Browns and Gold...

If you have been busy wrapping Christmas presents and have just realized you've missed someone, so now need a last-minute gift for a beauty junkie, or have you got a party invite over Christmas or New Year, and fancy wearing something new for that extra-special feeling?

... Don't panic; I've got your back on this, and want to show you a great quality eyeshadow quad that I've been loving lately. It has three very wearable matte shades and a metallic pop of colour for when you want to kick your look up a notch [a every-other-day shade for me recently]. 

I've picked this quad out of my cosmetic box for review because it has both practical every-day shades, and a metallic shade for that extra bit of glam. And the 50s style compact that houses the shades is very attractive, making it perfect for gifting. Plus there is still plenty of time for you to order it and have it arrive in time for Christmas - and you can pick express delivery, Amazon Prime, first class, or free second class delivery.

Lets crack this one open: Nutcracker large jar candle by Yankee Candle...

Who's feeling Christmassy? Not me, but I'm trying to get into the swing of things...

The customer reviews I've found for today's highlighted product come from 2009 and 2010, but as Nutcracker can now be found online and in Yankee outlet stores in the UK I want to try to get into the festive spirit and write a quick review for it.

The return of the Swamp Queen Eye & Cheek Palette by Tarte...

Back in June cosmetics brand Tarte collaborated with popular YouTuber Grav3yardgirl [Bunny Meyers] on a eye & cheek palette, which was pre-launched on the Tarte website [with no warning for people who don't follow Tarte on social media platforms] where it sold out in two hours. It was then re-launched on the site (where it again sold out in hours), and was released in Sephora, Ulta and Macy's stores - where it still proved to be so much in demand that it sold out everywhere within weeks.

But now due to high demand from the hundreds of thousands of international Grav3yardgirl fans who were unable to order the Swamp Queen palette on it's first run [Sephora was the only other retailer that shipped internationally - and they only ship to around half a dozen countries], it is back for another limited sale on the Tarte website (as are both of the Grav3yardgirl liquid lipstick shades), as their site ships worldwide. 

Tarte say that when the range sells out this time, then that's it - it's gone for good. Therefore I want to show people who may be umming and ahhing over it what they would be getting, and giving honest feedback, to help you decide if the palette is something that you need and want...

NOTD: Close Your Eyes by orly...

Close Your Eyes dates back to Orly's 2005 Truth Or Dare collection, and I think that it must have been added to their core colour collection at one point, because it is still easy to find on most retail sites [eg Amazon, eBay and Nail Polish Direct] today, as both a regular polish and a gel one. 

The party season is almost upon us, but before we bring out the full-on bling and glitters of the season, let's ease into the glitz and glamour by getting our pearly glow on...

WowEveryday: the MetalMatte eyeshadow palette by Kat Von D...

Before I even start my review, I'll point out that the MetalMatte palette is £50 [£14 more expensive when compared to her other eyeshadow palettes that are being sold for £36], which may put some people off. However you are getting more shadows than is usually included in her palettes; thirteen matte shadows, and nine metal crush shades which sell for £16 individually.  

I think that this is their Christmas offering this year for UK customers (the company does have both another palette of their own [Alchemy] and a collaboration palette with Too Faced [Better Together] coming in December for US/Canadian customers, but I don't think they'll be released this year for international customers)...  

Ready to jump in, and see what we're getting for our money?

Make mine a mocha... The Grand Hotel Cafe eye & cheek palette set by Too Faced.

Today I thought I would give people a look at the big Too Faced gift set for Christmas 2016 - the Grand Hotel Cafe, which contains three eye and cheek palettes and a deluxe sample of their Better Than Sex mascara.

I bought this palette set at the start of October, before finding Merry Macarons, so I've been wearing everything enough that I feel confident about sharing my thoughts. I have swatches and tips to get the most out of the eyeshadow to share on this set, but between overtime and sickness, I haven't had the chance to sit down and create any of my usual demo looks I do for the blog. However I don't want to waste any more time in getting this review posted, incase it sells out. Please accept my apologies and click to read and see what I've come up with...

The Bargain Hunter: £2.64 BB Cream by a Korean beauty company...

After my success with a Maycheer concealer ordered from a third party seller on Amazon a few weeks ago, I went back to the same seller to find another Maycheer product, and came away with a BB cream for only £2.64.

Will the sum of Korean beauty + fair shades + cheap prices = happy customer this time around?

Will this become the power of love? [The Power Of Makeup By NikkieTutorials eye & cheek palette - By Too Faced]...

This is a palette I picked up in August after it's US release. I hadn't been planning to get it as I thought that it looked boring, but all of the bigger YouTube 'Beauty Gurus' were raving over how great is was. So you'll all know how the story goes from here; I believed them, and panicking over missing out on the magical palette, I went to eBay and bought a US-bought palette for £60.

I've only just realised that you can now buy The Power Of Makeup palette on the Debenhams site over here [for £48], so I want to give UK customers an honest opinion and unedited swatches before they part with their money...

Heads Up: the Ulta-exclusive Too Faced Merry Macarons palette is in Debenhams stores...

Just a quick post to let everyone know that the Too Faced eyeshadow palette - Merry Macarons - that is exclusive to Ulta cosmetic stores in America, can actually be found in Debenham stores over here - so no need to pay those sky-high prices on eBay, Amazon and such.

My local Debenhams is small and doesn't stock Too Faced, and the palette has only just been added to their site in the last day, so it was a lovely surprise when I went to a larger store recently and saw it. Even better is the £28 price tag, which makes this palette £18 cheaper than the Grande Hotel Cafe palette that is also available for £46 [it's vanished from the site, but there were loads in the store I went to].


Keep on reading for swatches and my first impressions...

Getting lippie; Lip Wow in Ready To Wear by Bagsy...

Bagsy is a small British brand that focus on producing items that are considered as being 'everyday' handbag essentials. They have a capsule collection of products in compact sizes, ranging from dry shampoo, a concealer pencil, to what I want to show you today (PS; this is not a sponsored post)...

The brand's Wow Lip's remind me of Tarte's Lip Surgences and Revlon's Kissable Balm Stain's, but these are better than both brands; unlike the Lip Surgence's these don't melt in the tube and the caps don't crack, making a mess in my bags. And Revlon isn't cruelty free, and I'm working on replacing my makeup by brands that are involved with animal cruelty with more ethical options.

Want to know more about my favourite shade?

First Impressions; Sweet Like Candy edp by Ariana Grande...

I wasn't very impressed with Ari (my sister wears it and it smells amazing on her, but it doesn't play well with my body chemistry), but now Ariana Grande has a new perfume... And my Mum has just bought it. Yes, you read that right. My Mum was shopping with me, when she saw the bottle for this with it's cute pom pom, tested it, apparently went back to Boots a few more times to test it again, then ended up buying herself a bottle.

Of course I then had to go to Boots a few times to try it out, to see if plays well on me. I've tested it in-store multiple times now, and have also filled one of those travel-sized atomizers from my Mum's bottle, to determine if this will be another frustrating  failure, or a surprising win...

The Bargain Hunter: £1.87 concealer...

Pale girl makeup + Korean beauty products + bargain prices = an exciting episode of The Bargain Hunter...

Is it good enough to make public? [Private Show edp by Britney spears]...

It's not cool for an almost-33 old to admit, but I've been looking forward to getting to try the new Britney Spears perfume release as it contains coffee, which made me wonder if it would be similar to YSL Black Opium - which I love, but can't wear as it triggers my migraines. 

Was the wait worth it for me, or should Private Show really be called Fantasy: Part 14?

Lets compare... Tarte eye & cheek palettes [the Be Your Own Tarteist palette vs the Swamp Queen palette]...

I only posted my review for Tarte's QVC-exclusive Be Your Own Tarteist eye and cheek palette a few days ago, and in it I said that I'd ordered it because the shades picked for it reminded me of the ones used in the Swamp Queen one. I did order the Swamp Queen palette when it was launched, but it arrived all smashed (I did send Sephora photo evidence of the damage on my phone, but no longer have the pics) and the dark brown shadow and glittery highlight were the most damaged, so the microglitter and dark pigment got over everything else = all of the shades are half-powder that apply with a muddy tone, and there is glitter that spreads everywhere all over the palette. I'm whining, aren't I? Anyway I was happy enough with my Be Your Own Tarteist palette, but the other day I got a email saying that there was a new listing for one of my followed searches on eBay...

... A new & boxed Swamp Queen palette was on buy-it-now for £45 + free postage, so of course I needed to order it quick sharp, because after shipping and tax I ended up paying around £55 for it on Sephora, so this seemed like a bargain that couldn't be missed. As I can now compare the palettes side by side fairly, I thought that it'd be interesting to look at some swatches from my Be Your Own Tarteist palette, and show them against what I thought might be their equivalent shades in the Swamp Queen palette, to see how far off I was [or how close] in my thinking that the shades were similar.


Lets dive in, shall we?

The Prowl: Halloween 2016 collection by China Glaze...

I'd started to worry that China Glaze wouldn't be releasing a nail polish collection is year, as photos and swatches usually begin circulating for it mid-summer, but we've had to wait til now for our first glimpse at the 2016 collection.

As usual it's the folks over at ChicProfile who have gotten the first look at the latest offerings. But the question is was the wait worth it, or has the time come for me to stop being excited over China Glaze's Halloween collections?

We ain't painting by numbers here [with the Be Your Own Tarteist eye and cheek palette by Tarte]...

I'm not usually into celebrity/YouTuber collaborations with cosmetic brands when picking out makeup items as I know what colours and formulas I do and don't like, so they don't usually have any sway over me. However I love the Tarte brand and have been using their products for years, and I've seen quite a few of Bunny's [Grav3yardgirl] videos and know that she tends to wear the same kind of makeup I go for in her day-to-day looks, so I was very keen to pick up the Grav3yardgirl/Tarte collaboration palette; Swamp Queen . 

Alas; I found that disaster struck when I recieved my order, which arrived a week after I'd placed a Sephora.com order on the minute the collection became available to buy. So now I have a powdery mess, that I barely use as the smashed powders won't repress, so it is just too messy for me to bother with...  

But it seems that my habit of leaving the TV in my bedroom on whilst I'm in the bathroom getting ready for bed provided a possible solution a few weeks ago; the Be Your Own Tarteist eye and cheek palette was created for QVC, and I was excited by it as I find the colour selections chosen for it similar to the selections to those in Swamp Queen.  

As the Swamp Queen palette proved to be so popular that it sold out everywhere within weeks [the stock numbers were high enough that it was meant to be around for 3/4 months], I wanted everyone else who missed out on it to know about this other option...

The sweetest poison: Poison Girl edp by Christian Dior...

I want to give Poison Girl a shout out as I'm going to be looking at a lower-cost alternate fragrance in a upcoming blog post, so I want to lay down my opinion on this first. 

I have several other reviews in progress so you'll have to forgive that this one is a bit rushed, but the other day I suddenly decided to get it posted before my almost-finished perfume review is put out...

NOTD: We Got The Beet by China Glaze...

Today I'm rounding off my reviews for my purchases from the China Glaze summer 2016 Lite Brites collection, by looking at the shade I saved for last because [I think] it is the most transitional one in the collection. 

 If you are also a bit bored by lighter spring/summer shades now, but am not quite ready for the full-on vampies of autumn/winter yet, We Got The Beet has got your back...

NOTD: Papa Don't Peach by China Glaze...

Today's NOTD polish fits the theme of the China Glaze summer 2016 Lite Brites collection really well, as this shade reminds me of my jelly shoes as a child in the late 80's. Plus; do 80's babies remember when inflatable backpacks were really popular in secondary school during the 90's? Papa Don't Peach reminds me slightly of those too...

So; did my Sephora order arrive safely?

Today I'm concluding my Kat Von D Serpentina palette saga. I mentioned here that I wanted the palette, but probably wasn't going to bother ordering it from the Sephora website, as the last eyeshadow palette I ordered through them arrived to me badly damaged and getting a refund (they won't order replacement products for overseas customers) was a hassle.

Then I posted here that Kat herself has said that stock for the palette is so low that it's expected to sell out in the next few weeks [it was only released a couple of weeks ago], so of course I panicked and ended up ordering one...

Well my order has just arrived, so it's time to see if my previous problem was was a one-off, or if I'm in for more headaches with the Sephora customer service team.

Is it mad love? [reveiwing Mad Love edp, by Katy Perry]...

Last year I shared my disappointment with the then latest Coty/Katy Perry release Mad Potion. 

Well now they're followed that release up with a new flanker - Mad Love. As I posted last year, Coty originally announced Mad Love as a autumn 2015 release, so I was curious to see is the delay in release was maybe due to it being improved upon, since Mad Potion has been largely panned on most fragrance sites AND most customer review sites. 

So is Mad Love just Mad Potion: Part II, or is it something more then a weak musky vanilla scent? I have recently been gifted a bottle of it, so I was keen to open it and see...

Going, going, [soon to be] gone: the Serpentina eyeshadow palette by Kat Von D...

I've just posted about how I like the look of the Serpentina eyeshadow palette by Kat Von D that is available on the Sephora site, but that I was unsure about risking buying it or not.

However I've just read one of Kat's instagram posts, and by the picture she says that the stock is low and at the rate it's going the palette is expected to sell out within the next fortnight. I don't know if it'll be relaunched when the brand lands in the UK later this year, so after umming and ahhing I have now decided to risk the international shipping [see my last post for my rant] and have placed an order. So now I want to let other people who are undecided that the palette is almost gone.

Lets see the palette in more detail...

Hide my purse - Kat Von D cosmetics are launching in the UK this autumn [plus bonus Sephora mini-rant]...

The headline says it all.

My sister follows Kat Von D on Instagram, and let me know that...

NOTD: What I Like About Blue by China Glaze...

Blue is one of my favourite colours to wear on my nails, so it is no surprise. that I've gotten my mitts on What I Like About Blue from the China Glaze summer 2016 collection.

I know that the Lite Brites collection has another blue shade in it, but will the performance of this put me off picking it up?

NOTD: Lets Jam by China Glaze...

Today we're looking at the shade in the Lite Brites collection that is becoming the most popular with bloggers, vloggers and reviewers on various cosmetics sites and boards.

I admit that when I saw swatches, Lets Jam was the shade I was most keen to get too. Hyped up things usually end up being a let-down - at least in my experience they do, anyway. 

So is this going to be a meh job? Lets find out...

New fragrance: Heat Seduction edt by Beyonce...

“Gazing upon you with her sensuous eyes. Enticing you with her alluring beauty. Get ready to be seduced.”

Summer cleaning with Fresh Couture edt by Moschino...

I admit that my main motivation in buying Fresh Couture was because I wanted to display the bottle next to Moschino's other Jeremy Scott designed fragrance, Toy. 

Will this blind buy be a hit, or my latest miss?

New fragrance: Private Show edp by Britney Spears...

"Private Show celebrates one of my biggest passions -- dancing! It is inspired by the electric energy I feel when I’m performing, whether during rehearsals or on-stage during my show. I wanted my fans to have an uplifting, sexy scent that empowers them to achieve their dreams!”

NOTD: Bite Me by China Glaze...

Today I'm showcasing the third and final pink polish shade that's available in the summer 2016 Lite Brites collection.

I've saved the one that I was most looking forward to trying until last, so let's find out if it was worth the wait...

NOTD: I'll Pink To That by China Glaze...

As my last NOTD entry shone the spotlight on one of the pink shades in China Glaze's summer 2016 Lite Brites collection, I thought that I'd go ahead and  also do reviews for the other two pinks as I own them too.

Today we'll be looking at the one that I feel is the most 'traditional' polish out of the three pink shades that are on offer. But is it traditional equals good, or traditional equals boring and dated?

First glance: Breakfast at Tiffany’s Christmas 2016 nail polish collection by OPI...

First China Glaze gave us a glimpse of what will be coming this festive season, and now Chic Profile have got the first details up for part of the OPI Christmas 2016 collection, and the theme sounds just as amazing...

NOTD: Lip Smackin' Good by China Glaze...

Sunny and warm days are here. It's still rainy near me, but hey, summer. I thought that I'd celebrate the British summer by working through my neon polish collection and as I'm currently playing with the new-for-2016 Lite Brites polishes I bought a little while ago, I thought I'd work on a few new reviews, to help people who are not sure if they are worth picking up.

Today we're going to look at a polish shade I've had loads of formula trouble with from every major brand; white-based pink. A shade with a strong white base + super intense colour pigments = ???

W7 Honey Queen blush; Honey, I shrunk the Benefit price tag...

Having fair skin and a tendency towards a all or nothing approach to makeup I find blush a challenge to get right, so mostly used BeneFit's Sugarbomb blush as it's a 4-shades-in-one-blush that's great for fairer skintones. However that blush is also £24, so I've been looking for a more purse friendly option to save me from myself and my heavy hands, and Honey Queen has just filled that gap...

Are they dupes? OPI Absolutely Alice vs Nicole by OPI Kendall On The Katwalk...

I recently got two of the polishes that are considered as two of the bigger OPI must-haves for polish collectors; I found Absolutely Alice and Mad As A Hatter [The 2010 Alice In Wonderland collection] together on an eBay buy-it-now for £20. 

This post isn't me showing off (well, not totally about me showing off); I'm writing it because when I got my eBay winnings in my hand, I realized that I already had a similar-looking polish to Absolutely Alice, which has sat in my untried collection of polishes for the past several years. Well I think that it's high time to take my Absolutely Alice lookalike [Nicole by OPI Kendall On The Katwalk] out of my untried pile, and now that I have the original for comparison, see just how much of a lookalike it really is...

The Bargain Hunter: The £1.21 liquid lipstick...

Who likes liquid colour for lips? Who likes the look of matte lips? Who likes bargains? Who wants all three combined?

say no more - lets jump right into my experience with one of the liquid lipsticks, that are sold by Amazon's many Asian cosmetic selling third-party sellers...

First look: Seas And Greetings Holiday 2016 by China Glaze...

"China Glaze are stepping away from the winter shades & instead are taking you on a tropical escape with this years winter collection full of sun & colour tones. The relaxed feel of the beach with the classic holiday joy has this winter warming up. A colour palette of glitters faded oceans & sea shells with a holiday coastal collaboration."

I've not had much time to play around with my Lite Brite polishes yet, but it's already time to get a look at the Christmas 2 016 collection by China Glaze... and boy, is it a good one. American company R&B Nail Supply have a pre-order for the collection going for their customers, which means they have display photos and a swatch wheel up so customers can see what they're paying for.

Whilst us overseas customers can't take part in the pre-order event, we can get a gander on what will be coming to UK sites later this year...

Truly yours? [reviewing Ari edp, by Ariana Grande]

Ari is a perfume that I've come to recognise on other people pretty well, as it has quickly become popular. Now my sister, who normally 'needs' her perfume bottles to have designer names on, has been wearing it every time I see her lately and it smells amazing on her. Therefore I reasoned that if my sister can pull it off, then so can I. Right???

Has my impulsive purchase of a bottle when it was on a price offer fully won me over, or will the bottle just be a pretty decorative piece to brighten up my dresser?