What I Got For Christmas 2013!

Hey guys!

So today i thought I'd show you what i got for Christmas. Just a disclaimer in no way am i bragging and i am extremely grateful for everything i received. :)
First of all i woke up at 3.45am Christmas morning and woke up my siblings and parents to open the presents from Santa!

After i opened my stocking fillers i then went on to my main gift from my parents and i was so happy to find the Urban Decay Vice 2 palette. I gave my mum a selection of 3 to choose from as I'm a big kid and love surprises. I really wanted this one as it was limited edition until Christmas.

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I love how every eye Shadow is different yet equally stunning! I love everything about this palette but I'm not going to go into detail because i want to do a separate post on it.

Then i went to my friends house for Christmas dinner and a party and we all exchanged gifts.

The first thing i opened was the MAC green cleanser gel and i was really happy with it as i love all things MAC, and I've actually been looking for a new cleanser as my skin is in really bad condition. So I'm trying this out and so far i love it!

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 The next present i opened was Nars Sheer Glow foundation in Mont Blanc.. and i knew i was getting this as i needed to be colour matched, but i was happy none the less as I'd been waiting to try it for days.

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I'm one of those really sad people who likes items in the original packaging and keeps boxes and perfume bottles even if they're empty.. I'm trying to limit the amount of boxes i keep now so i just take pictures with them in or next to the packaging so i have something pretty to look at! I'm so weird...

Anyway the next thing i got was the M.A.C limited edition stroke of midnight eye kit in nude. Now at first i didn't want this.. In fact i told people i didn't want it but the more i look at it and play with it the more i love it. I love the packaging its so sleek and chic. You get a makeup bag with the monochrome pattern and gold piping, the MAC In Extreme Dimension Lash mascara, the MAC Fluidline in the shade Past Twilight which is like a browny purpley black shade, MAC Pro Long wear Paint Pot in Utterly Becoming and the Double-Ended 209 Eye Liner brush and the 239SE Eye Shader Brush.

 Love love love it! 

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Then the next gift i got was the Black Gucci Guilty perfume! I love this perfume so much. It just smells expensive and classy.. it's not like Britney spears perfume.. which i have nothing against as i like it.. but i think at 22 i need to start smelling a bit less like a teenager and more like a woman and this is the one for me. It reminds me of black cherries.. i don't know why. It could be because i have an obsession with anything cherry. I can't explain the smell of it... just amazing!

Then i got the N07 3 for 2 gift sets that boots do every Christmas... Now i don't have many no7 products and i haven't ever wanted to buy them because they're so expensive for a high street brand but i don't mind being given them :)

Firstly i got the N07 brush set... I need new makeup brushes, and not just new ones, good ones. I love the real techniques brushes, so i was going to buy those with Christmas money but now I'll try these out before i do. Individually these brushes are quite pricey so i think i got a pretty good set to be honest as all of them are soft and don't leave stray hairs all over my face when i use them. I think the powder brush is actually a good match for the real techniques powder brush so I'm happy i got that one. Foundation brushes i don't tend to use to apply my foundation as i use the real techniques expert face brush and i love the finish that gives so I'm excited to try this one out. It then comes with a smokey eyeliner brush which i use as a pencil brush for shadow under my lower lash line or to smoke out my eyeliner, the next one is the eyeshadow blend and contour brush which i find is quite similar to the MAC 217 brush and I'm always in need of extra blending brushes. And finally it comes with a lip brush which is not the typical pointed tip style its just straight but i used it today and i like it. All of these brushes come with a little purple N07 case to travel with which is cool :)

Then i got N07 the lips collection and its just a really cute little set that comes with 5 lip glosses that start from a nude/clear glossy shade, then a baby pink shade, a bright pink shade, a coral/ orange shade and a dark/bright pink shade. All of these glosses are glittery/shimmery and they all smell of strawberries which reminds me of being a kid and getting your first makeup! They're not sticky at all which i actually prefer as i don't like getting hair stuck to my lips in this classic British weather we have! 

The 3rd 3 for 2 N07 gift i received was the Beautiful Skin wash set. It comes in this big purple bubble wash bag which has two big dividers inside and i find it so useful and it makes me want to take more care of my skin. Inside you get a purple body wash sponge which is in my bathroom so i don't have a picture of that, a pack of 30 beautiful skin wipes for all skin types. These wipes are actually really good and manage to get off waterproof mascara really easily. Then there's the blissful body wash and the completely quenched body lotion which I'm still yet to try, the protect and perfect day and night cream which i have used every day/night since i got it and the beautiful skin radiance exfoliator.

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I've been wanting a hair waver since summer as i feel that my hair is either curly or straight and i thought it would be a nice change  to try something different. I've used this once and at first i was really scared to use it as it isn't the most self explanatory tool! However, it is really easy to use and it does exactly what it says on the box! It gives more of a crimped/braided effect than a wave when it's all done but i love it regardless as it looks like a more effortless style that i just rolled out of bed after braiding my hair. The only thing i would say is if you brush them out they fall out a bit. I've only tried it once so I'll have to practise more and try to get my hair the way i like it.

Buy Fix+,  Buy snob, Buy mineralised skinfinish

I had a gift card to spend at MAC to pick out the things i wanted so i went for MAC fix+ which I've wanted for ages and have heard great things about, then i got MAC mineralised skin finish in medium as I've been needing a really good powder and this was recommended to me by the woman who helped me. And finally i got Snob by MAC which is a satin lipstick. I absolutely love how this looks on me! Such a gorgeous colour.

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I got so many sweets and chocolates for Christmas as well as an orange in the bottom of my stocking, but these are by far my favourites! As i said earlier I'm obsessed with cherries and these Thornton's chocolates are just amazing... I'm not a fan of Thornton's because its all truffles and i like truffles but not too many if that makes sense. I'm not a massive chocolate fan anyway as anyone who has tried to get me anything for Easter before will know, but these are just heaven!

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Then with the Christmas money i received from family and friends i got a few extra bits and bobs. I got the pretty porefect little set from benefit as I've been wanting the Porefessional for about 6 months now. It was the same price as the primer on its own as it was to get this little set and i love trying samples so i thought why not. It was £24.50 and it comes with a mini jar of it's potent eye cream and a mini tube of "that gal" primer and the full size Porefessional. I can't wait to try this :)

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I've been wanting a Ted Baker patent leather purse since i got my Ted Baker bag for my birthday like 2 years ago and I've always been put off by the price as its £75 and I'm usually in and out of work so i can't really justify spending that much on a purse... However, yesterday i was on a mission in the sales and i found the only reduced black purse out of about 4 stores that sell them where i live. I ended up getting it from the House of Fraser and it was £75 reduced to £53! Its the Kassady crystal large flap over purse and It comes in this cute little lime green box with a little stamp on which is adorable and the purse itself is just lush! The inside is cream and it has little boxer puppies (i think). Its a really god size for me and it has loads of card holders. Well worth the money... I love it!

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As i received quite a few new makeup brushes i didn't really see the point in buying more if i didn't really need them. One brush i did need and want was the Real Techniques Blush Brush. Now this brush is the hardest brush to track down! Literally every time i go to Boots or Superdrug it's out of stock! I was lucky to find it to be honest... i saw another girl gunning for it so i grabbed it quickly ;) I haven't really tested it out yet but its super soft like the other brushes from the collection and i love the shape, it gives you a more precise application.

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The final thing I got for Christmas was this gorgeous DKNY handbag from the House Of Frasier! Its the Saffiano large black tote bag for anyone interested. I got this with my Christmas money and I absolutely love this bag.. I wanted something classic and that would go with everything. It came in a dust bag too so that excites me as every time I go to bed I have to put it back in its original packaging.

I hope you all had a lovely Christmas and have a great New year. See you all in 2014 for more beauty posts!

 Ezzie xox

OPI And China Glaze Bargain Haul!

Hey guys,

So today I went Christmas shopping... Well I tried! I went with every intention of getting presents but ended up getting myself stuff Instead! 

Anyway, I went to the 99p store just to pick up some deodorant and dry shampoo (the essentials in life!) And I came across these magnificent beauty's!!

They had four colours of the OPI shatter lacquers and I got them all! I would be crazy if I didn't as they run for about £11 a pop and I got each one for 99p! 

I love the gold shatter and the silver shatter, and I think the red shatter (or any red) and the gold will go so lovely together and look really festive! 

The names aren't very imaginative they literally are what they say they are on the tin (or this case bottle). Gold, silver, black and red shatter.

They had similar colours in the China Glaze but I didn't see the point in getting those so I managed to find one I loved and that was in the shade 'oxidized aqua,' It's a gorgeous aqua colour with silver flecks of glitter in it and I can't wait to use it! 

So for £4.95 i got 5 "higher end" nail polishes!

Bargain!!

 

Ezzie xox

Benefit Rockateur First Impressions.

Hey guys!

So todays post is just going to be a quick first impression.

Yesterday I went into Cardiff to start my Christmas shopping, only to find that i had forgotten my purse! Only i would do something so stupid! So with the tiny bit of cash i did have on me i decided to make the most of it and treat myself...

I went into Debenhams to find that they had a 15% off beauty and fragrance sale on so naturally I checked out the benefit counter!

The girl in the store was lovely and really helpful and it was actually a pleasant experience, unlike so many I've had before when the staff are so pushy and rude. 

So I asked her if i could try the Rockateur  boxed blusher as I've heard so many good things about it but never really thought it looked that great.

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I don't really know if i like the packaging... I love that its in a small box that comes with a mirror and a handy little travel brush but i don't like the gold snakeskin look, I love the black and pink lace detail though.

I love the Rock motif in the centre of the blush but after one use it's starting to fade away... I hate using new products as i just want to keep them pretty.

It was originally £23.50 but it was 15% off so it was £19.97 and i think this offer is only on until tomorrow.

The blush itself is a lovely rose gold / bronze colour and it has flex of gold shimmer which gives the blush a beautiful warm glow on the cheeks.

I really like this blusher, it sort of has the smell of soap though when you open the box which can be too much but you can't smell it when it's on the skin. It lasts all day and it gives the effect of a warm, bronzed, healthy, glowing complexion. I can't wait to try it out some more!

Ezzie xox

E.L.F And USA Haul / Review...

Hey guys!

Firstly i just want to apologise for my absence! I recently started a new job so i haven't found much time to write.

My best friend went to Florida in October and of course i asked her to pick up some makeup tha\t we don't get here in the UK... Little did i know that in 2 weeks time an E.L.F store would open in Cardiff!

So today's post is going to be an E.L.F and USA haul / review. (I have a feeling it's going to be a long one.)

I have wanted to try Covergirl for ages so when my Bestie went to Florida i asked her to get me the Covergirl clump crusher.

I have to say... Covergirl packaging has always reminded me of Max Factor... So imagine how stupid i felt when i found out it is the same thing as the US don't have Max Factor! *Blonde moment*

But anyway... the mascara wand i love as it combs nicely through my lashes and the product seems to be quite good too. I haven't really given most of these products a fair go but i used this for about a week and i really liked it.

Okay so on youtube there is so much hype in the US over wet n wild products, so i wanted to try some out. She got me the wet n wild eyeshadow trio in walking on egg shells.

I love this palette the colours are so nice and smooth. However they are all shimmers so i wouldn't wear all three together but i really do like this product.

I love how the shadows are labelled to show what you use them for. You can't see mine clearly anymore as I've used it a bit but its still pretty cool. The brow bone shade is a gorgeous yellow toned white highlight and it reminds me a bit of Albatross by Nars.

Then the crease shade is a Goldie brown shimmer and the eyelid shade is an almost rose gold shimmer.

She also got me the e.l.f studio makeup remover pen. I was so excited when i saw this as i am one of those people who makes a mistake when it comes to eyeliner or mascara application. So when i read the back of the box and it said: 'removes mistakes without taking your makeup off', you could imagine how excited i would have been to try it. 

Lets say i was... surprised to see how badly this product would actually turn out to be. The nib turned black almost instantly after trying to remove a tiny mark, the makeup didn't just remove it smudged everywhere. I would have looked better with the mistake than with the mess this left my eye in. I was so disappointed but i guess they can't get everything right! The concept is great! But its just poorly executed. 

The actual nib itself is tiny so I have no idea how I would remove other mistakes when the nib attracts so much makeup.

This is just my experience tho, so if you do want to try it out you can buy it on the website.

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So obviously when in Rome (or Florida) you ask your friend to get you some of the well known e.l.f brushes!  I asked her for the shadow brush and the blending brush and I mean the price of these over there is insane! I think one of them was like $0.60... That's like what... 45 pence?

Crazy! 

Eye shadow brush. buy here

Blending brush. buy here

I mean yeah they're not amazing quality and they're not super soft but they are extremely good for the price! You honestly can't go wrong. They haven't shed yet and they blend well so I really can't complain. 

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She then got me one of the e.l.f all over colour stick blushes in the shade 'pink lemonade.' It is a lovely cranberry colour and I actually love the way it looks and feels on. It is a bit too shimmery but its still nice :)

I'm not thrilled on the packaging for elf's cheaper range… It does look cheap but the product is good. And I'm starting to see that all of there products are shimmery.

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She then got me the e.l.f healthy glow bronzing powder in 'sun kissed.' I haven't used this yet I've only swatched it. It's quite shimmery so I think I will probably use it for a glow of colour.

                                                        buy here

She also got me the e.l.f blush in 'coy'. I like how this comes with a little brush which is handy to travel with but I wouldn't use it normally. It actually isn't a blush at all in my eyes. It looks the same as the bronzer except when you wear it, it looks more like a highlight so that's what I use it as. 

I have a swatch of them but the 'blush' isn't very clear on camera.

The swatch on the left is the bronzer and the swatch on the left is the highlight/blush.

I also got 2 wet n wild lip sticks in similar shades and similar names but one is a shimmer and the other is matte. I again don't like the packaging of these lipsticks. I think they look cheap which is a shame as the product is lovely.

This lipstick is called 'Sunset peach' and it's a shimmer lipstick.

This one is the matte one and it is in the shade 'just peachy.' I haven't worn this one yet but I can't wait to try it out.

She also got me the e.l.f plumping lip glaze which I haven't tried yet but again can't wait to see if it works. All of the wet n wild and e.l.f lip products smell like peppermint. I hate peppermint so that puts me off them! ha ha.

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This lip glaze is in the shade 'fuschia fanatic' and it is like a red pinkie colour.

The gloss is clear with silver shimmer. 

Okay so 'just peachy' is the first shade on the left, it's a lovely matte peachy coral colour. The second one in is 'sunset peach' which is a more red toned peach with a shimmer.' And the 4th shade in is 'fuschia fanatic.'

The 3rd swatch in is actually from the new Cardiff e.l.f store from the e.l.f studio range. It is the glossy gloss in the shade 'ballet slippers' and it is a gorgeous nude. I love this lip gloss so much. I have used it everyday since the day I got it (last Thursday). It is a bit sticky so it lasts a while but not so it sticks your lips together. It has a lovely applicator so it goes on evenly and I love the packaging of the e.l.f studio range. It looks like a cheaper version of Nars. But anythings better than the cheap white packaging.

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The only bad thing about this product is that it's so small! I just want more! But it was £3.75 so I really want to go back and try more shades.

My friend then recommended that I try the mineral eyes shadow primer so I picked it up. To be honest I wasn't expecting a lot from this but it's actually really good for the price.

buy here

I have used this a few times and I am impressed! As you can see from the swatches on my hand, the difference is quite significant. The one on the left is the one with the primer underneath it. Bearing in mind I used an urban decay eyeshadow to use as an example, it is really very good for £3.75.

Then last of all I picked up the e.l.f studio eyebrow treat and tame in dark. I've been wanting to try an eyebrow gel for a while now. 

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The eyebrow spooly is small and quite thick and it looks like it has fibres in it which will obviously add some volume. The colour is actually a dark brown and i think it appears quite light. I would of preferred a darker shade but this was the darkest they did. I sort of feel like its just too pale for me and doesn't really make any difference as i have black eyebrows.

The other end is the tame end and it's just a clear brow gel with a lip gloss applicator end which i don't like as i feel that with eyebrows you want to brush them if you're taming them.. not gloss over them. So when i use this i just rub my finger over it to make sure the product sets in place.

This was also £3.75 and i think most things in the e.l.f Cardiff store are. The prices online are cheaper and the shades are also quite misleading so just bare that in mind when ordering online.

I hope you enjoyed this haul and my thoughts on the products. If you want to go to the e.l.f store in Cardiff, it's located in Royal Arcade. 

Ezzie xox

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Happy Halloween!

BOO!

Just a quick post today to show you a few Halloween ideas! Halloween is my favourite time of year! I love being creative and making myself look scary or different. I had lots of fun creating these looks and I wish I could go out dressed like this! But I'd look mental! 

I love the sugar skull or 'dia de muertos' look. I find it so creative and pretty yet spooky. They're not exactly perfect but I'm pleased with how they turned out for my first attempts. 

This look is my favourite! I love being scary on Halloween! I love the blood, the gore! Anything that alters your appearance. I went for two looks here. One was a zombie very fresh looking and decaying skin and the other a prettier makeup look and as if my skin was torn off around my mouth. I used PVA glue and tissue paper to create the wounds as i didn't want to buy liquid latex. It works just as well and i didn't mind putting it on my own skin but i would ask for other people's permission before you apply it to them. It takes slightly longer to dry and can be a pain to work with but the effect comes out just as good. 

My sister wanted to be Jigsaw from Saw but she didn't want to be a scary version so i tried to make it as pretty as possible. It's a very simple look to create and still manages to look spooky.

And finally Barbie! I bought this blonde wig from Asda and every time i tried to create a look i just looked odd as my eyebrows are so dark. So my sister was the perfect model. I just used classic barbie pinks and purples for the eyes, blush and i used viva glam Nikki for the lips. 


I'm sad Halloween is over but I'm pretty sure I'll be making more looks throughout the year! Now i know what I'm doing I'll invest in the proper theatrical makeup but i was on a budget and the cheap stuff does fine when you're playing around.

Hope you enjoyed this post!

Ezzie xox