November Favourites

OK guys, a week into December already (WTF!) and I'm doing my favourites again. I've got some beauty, homeware & motherhood bits. Oh and two instagram accounts that I've loved in the last month.

I'll start with homeware. The Jo Malone dupe candles by Aldi. My sister Courtenay picked this Blackberry and Bay one up for me weeks ago, it was £3.99 - so cheap! It has burnt quite well, and I am impressed by how much scent fills the room. I find after a while (I'm talking a good few hours here) the smell starts to annoy me a bit, it becomes more herb like than fruity but that is just personal preference. For the price, it is fantastic! If you've not already seen the collection, there is also a Lime, Basil & Mandarin one and Pomegranate Noir - just like Jo Malone.

Next is my beauty favourites and it is two lip colours that I've been reaching for constantly over the past month, The Younique Matte Liquid Lipstick in Stellar, and the Younique Lipstain in sultry.

Stellar

Sultry

Now I am terrible at applying lipsticks, so apologies for the rubbish applications above but I wanted to show the colours on. Both are great for this time of year, ideal Winter colours and go with loads of outfits too! 

Now you all know I am a lover of fake tan. For most people, it is a summer essential. For me, it is even more essential in Winter! My skin is so drab and pasty, I need a bit of colour. I've raved about the Bondi Sands dry oil before on Instagram but just to recap - it dries instantly, smells divine and gives a gorgeous natural colour. Fantastic.

Motherhood wise, it is this wonderful book. Matilda received this for her birthday in April and even though we read it once or twice around then, she was more interested in other books (we always let her choose what she wants to read) but she has recently become obsessed with this book and I can see why. The story is about a little girl trying to find her name, she goes on adventure meeting creatures and animals that start with the letters in the child's name. So for example, M is for Mermaid, A is for Aardvark and so on. It is perfectly whimsical and wonderful and I just adore the fact it is personalised. It makes a fantastic gift for Christmas!

Also motherhood/Christmas related is the beautiful handmade garland my friend Sarah made for us.

How stunning! It is all handstitched and then personalised with my daughters names. I absolutely love it and you can find Sarah's work on her Instagram page here.

Finally it is two of my favourite instagram accounts that I've been obsessed with this month.

Jess @ thelayoverlife_ for her stunning travel pictures (I love a travel based account) She also blogs and Youtubes too.

Emma @ emmahill is one of my fave fashion accounts and has been for ages. I love her style, basic but with high end accessories and her instastories are hilarious. Emma youtubes as well and her vlogs are brilliant so go and take a look.

Hope you enjoyed this post, leave me a comment below with the things you've been loving and if there is anything you'd like to see in the future.

Thanks for reading,

Chloe x

October Favourites

Yep it is the 6th November but I'm going to give you my October faves anyway.

Beauty and Skincare

First up is the Pixi x Caroline Hirons Double Cleanse. I am now on to my second pot of this since June, which is pretty good going considering I use it every evening. The oil works so well at lifting makeup and dirt from my face, the cream then gets rid of it all perfectly leaving my skin beautifully cleansed and refreshed. £24 from ASOS.

Next step is the Ordinary acid toner, which I am obsessed with. I am certain that as soon as I apply this, my skin looks more awake, plumped, rejuvenated etc etc. I just love this product! And the price is amazing. I went for the 5% Lactic Acid concentration as I've never used acid toners before so wanted to ease myself in gently. Available from Cult Beauty for £5.50. The ordinary advised this is used in the evenings.

For daytime moisturising I love the Clinique Superdefense SPF 20. Fragrance free and offering sun protection, perfect! I love the texture of this and I can see an improvement in the appearance of my skin since I started to use this. Cheapest on allbeauty.com currently for £34.90.

For my night cream, I've been using the Nivea Pure & Natural regenerating night cream, love this too! My skin feels hydrated when I wake up, there is no residue so I know my skin is taking in all the benefits. Great price too for around £5.50.

Body lotion, I've been using this Burts Bees product that I actually purchased from Walgreens whilst in Vegas, as I'd stupidly forgot any body moisturiser! I can't find this specific one online, but my sister is in Florida at the moment so I think I might ask her to get some for me as I really like it. Soaks in well, keeps my skin feeling hydrated, quickly sorted out some dry skin patches on both shins - f**k you winter!

Beauty wise I am going to sound like a broken record because two if the items are in my Sephora Haul but they are so amazing they deserve a second mention! The Cover FX drops are just (praying hands emoji). The shade sunlight is working well for these sunny Autumn days, I love the glow from within look they give under my foundation. and then the Too faced chocolate bronzer is so perfect, blendable, smells like chocolate, matte - what else do you need in a bronzer?

I've been reaching for the Charlotte Tilbury KKW lipstick for day-to-day wear, the perfect semi sheen nude. Nails, I love this dark red from Rimmel in shade Rita Rouge. It is the ideal burgundy red for Autumn/Winter. I am going to put Essie Bordeaux on my Christmas List though as I had a lot of recommendations for that when I asked on my instastories what you guys were wearing.

Mother & Baby

We have started using the Childs Farm products on the girls after the Johnson's fiasco in the media. I did try the Dove body wash but it left zero scent on them both, and you want your kids to smell amazing don't you?! The Childs farm stuff is expensive, but it is sensitive and suitable from birth, plus it smells! Yippee! So we use the bubble bath which smells like oranges and the body wash smells like apple & blackcurrant. Really like both of these products. We also love the Burts Bees baby range but we can't buy these locally.

Favourite Place

This will come as no surprise to you, I am sure. We LOVED Las Vegas. Somewhere everyone should experience in their lifetimes. We will definitely go back!

Favourite Fashion Item:

This utility jacket from Next hasn't left my back since I bought in the sale (sorry!) in September. It was £22 and I love it. Goes with pretty much everything I wear and is surprisingly warm. I've linked a similar one from Topshop here for £40. 

Instagrams:

Here are the accounts I've been obsessed with over the last month

Hunters and Heels - read Lauren's blog here and she also has a Youtube channel. Gorgeous insta feed too.

Miss Megan Meeke - also blogs here and features loads of travel stuff for the wanderlusters.

I'll make sure I'm up to date with all of their content so hope you like them too!

Thanks for reading,

Chloe x

Sephora Haul

As promised, my Sephora haul for you guys! I'll tell you what I purchased and what I think of each product.

I'm going to list them in the order I put them on, so firstly it is the Cover FX Custom Enhancer Drops in shade Sunlight. They are so pigmented a little goes a really long way so I think these are going to last ages. I use these on the areas where I would usually highlight, so cheekbones, brow bone, cupids bow and down my nose. Because the glow on these is so luminous, I use it under my foundation. You can buy these in the UK, all shades are available on Beauty Bay for £34. 

I'd been wanting to try the Giorgio Armani Power Fabric foundation for ages. I bought the Luminous Silk last summer and loved that so couldn't wait to try this. I've purchased it in the same shade I used in the Luminous Silk, which is 4.5, more yellow toned than pink. With foundation, try before you buy and check it in natural light too. This foundation is gorgeous, one pump covers the entire face it is a longwear full coverage finish with SPF 25. If you prefer a more dewy finish, try the Luminous Silk.

I'd read up on brands to buy in the US before we went to Vegas, and Milk Makeup kept coming up. I got their Flex concealer in shade light - again more yellowy which suits my skin tone - and this has excellent coverage. Their ethos is eco-concious and innovative using the best ingredients, and is also vegan, cruelty & gluten free! The concealer doesn't flake or crack and blends really well. You can buy from Sephora online.

Whilst in Vegas I smashed my Younique bronzer! I was so gutted as I'd only had it about a month and there was so much left. So, I obviously had to buy a new one. A friend had recommended me either Tarte or Too Faced so I tried both in Sephora to see what I liked more. The Too Faced Chocolate Soleil bronzer won it for me, because it smells of chocolate. All the heart eyes for this amazing bronzer! I went for the medium/dark shade, which is just right. It is a matte bronzer that blends beautifully.

Also on my list of products to buy was a new liquid liner. For this I headed straight to the Kat Von D counter to try the Tattoo Ink Liner. I prefer brown to black for a softer look, so purchased the shade Hemingway. This stuff goes on like a dream and is easy to create flicks and wings with. It is also really long lasting. You can buy all shades from Debenhams.

Finally, the most incredible setting spray by Make Up Forever, called the Mist and Fix. I only bought the 30ml size bottle as it was glaring at me whilst I queued up to pay for my other items so I just grabbed it quickly. Wow, this stuff keeps everything in place all day, I am so impressed by this and will definitely be purchasing the 125ml next time. I can highly recommend this stuff, I do personally find it works better than the Urban Decay setting spray and is cheaper.

So there is my Sephora Haul from you, this all came to around $250. And I could have easily spent triple that!!

Let me know if you've tried any of these and what you think.

Thanks for reading,

Chloe x

New In: Beauty

I'm the crappiest blogger going, I know.

I've got a mini beauty haul of products I am loving currently and which seem to be working wonders for my pregnant body!

First are two products from Garnier's SkinActive range - the tissue mask which I like to use once a week for a complete hydration injection to my face! I don't feel like my face has suffered this pregnancy, it can look dull at times but nothing a good mask can't sort! These were reduced to 99p a mask in Superdrug recently, so I stocked up. The night cream here is (I think anyway) a total wonder product! It was about £6, it has a wonderfully light texture so it is perfect for using every night. I wake up in the morning and can really tell the difference, my skin feels plump and looks dewy, it's a great drugstore night cream.

My hair is driving me mad at the moment! Ever since I made the terrible decision to have a full scalp bleach 18 months ago, my hair has never been the same. It breaks when I brush it, my scalp itself is much drier than it used to be and it looks as dull as bloody dishwater frankly! In comes this wonder mask, I'd seen Victoria from Inthefrow recommend this in one of her YouTube videos and Look Fantastic were offering Redken products at 20% off so I got this for £17.49 at the time. I use this once a week and I must say my hair feels a lot softer, doesn't break as much as it used to and has a nice smell to it. I think I probably need to use this for longer to get my hair back to it's old form!

Bit of a theme here now with all of these masks! This Body Shop mask is fab, has a lovely light fragrance perfect for sleeping in and is not greasy at all. When I wake, I have a slight residue which once washed off, makes my skin look radiant and feel so soft! I only use this once or twice a week, in between my other creams and masks! I've enjoyed a few products from the Vitamin E range so far as they aren't heavy on my skin. This isn't too thick, the pot says to apply a generous amount all over your face, rub in gently then leave it to sink in overnight - heaven.

Finally, a cult product some may say, the This Works pillow spray. Excuse the travel size spray! This has been helping me drift off to sleep throughout the final weeks of my pregnancy. I'm getting to the stage now where sleep is an issue, just because of the extra weight and the aching hips (I'm really not moaning here though, I've had the best pregnancy and will be sad for it to end!) 

A few sprays of this on my pillow before settling down for the night really helps me relax. So many people recommend this product, if you're someone that struggles to drift off at night why not give it a try?

Chloe x

High Street Cleansers You Need To Know About

Hi guys!

I need to update you on two new cleansing products you NEED to purchase. Today. They are so good.

The first is the new oil infused micellar water from Garnier. You may have already tried their normal micellar water with the pink lid? And thought that was really good? It was good, but the new one is amazing! It smells divine, it removes every last bit of makeup from my skin, including my waterproof Lancome mascara which is an absolute bugger to shift usually. It doesn't leave a greasy, weird sheen either that some oil cleansers do. It is such good value for money too at under £6 for 400ml. However, Superdrug have it on offer here for under £4.

The second product is a new cleansing gel from Palmer's. I use this in the mornings to wake up my face and also in the evenings to remove my base makeup. The formula of this gel means it doesn't foam up too much on the skin (does anyone else hate a bubble covered face?) and it is so light my skin feels refreshed and clean, not tight and dry. Palmer's products are great value again, this gel was £3.99 and you can pop this in your shopping basket to purchase now, here.

Let me know if you've already tried either of these and what you thought!

Chloe x

New In: Beauty

Hi guys!

A recent shopping trip to Westfield White City with two girlfriends left my purse a little barren shall we say!

I had a few beauty products on my shopping list so headed to House of Fraser to try out a few. First up, a new foundation. After hearing Victoria from Inthefrow highly recommend the Maestro Glow by Giorgio Armani, I knew I wanted to buy something here. However, my skin is very oily, so the lovely lady advised I should try the Luminous Silk instead. Maestro Glow does what it says on the tin - make you glowy. I don't need any more shine as I have enough from my super oily t-zone come 3pm!

I go for foundations with more pink based tones than yellow as this just works for me, so bought shade 4.5.

I am very lucky with my skin, I'm generally free from any spots and the tone is pretty good. I do get a bit of redness around my nose, but I find a concealer helps with this. I'd heard good things about the Urban Decay Naked Skin concealer and was advised to try shade light warm. It is very lightweight and a shade or two fairer compared to what I had been using, so this a great brightening concealer for under the eyes and down the nose. So far I like!

Also whilst checking out the Urban Decay counter, I picked up their make-up setting spray. A bit of a cult item if you will. They do three types, so I went for the oil control one. The guy at the counter reeled of some spiel about the contents, sorry but I'm no chemist so I have no idea about the ingredients and what they do. All I know is people love this. And that is good enough for me. It can even be kept in the fridge and used as a cooling mist too - love this idea for hot weather.

Finally new tools! I love Real Techniques, so if you've never used any of their brushes before you definitely need to try them. Created by two make-up artists, the collection has everything you need for flawless make-up. I've been raving about their miracle complexion sponge for months now and even mentioned it in a '5 Holy Grail Beauty Products' video on my sister's YouTube channel. My current one is in a bad way so bought a replacement and I grabbed the core collection for my base at £20! It has a large brush for buffing, a smaller brush for contouring, a tapered brush which is great for getting in to corners and I love it for my powder highlight. And lastly a mini brush which I now use for lips!

Do you have any of these products? Or have anything new you can recommend I need to try?

Chloe x

Drugstore Beauty Haul

Hi guys!

Today I wanted to post about some recent drugstore purchases. Like every girl I love trying out new products and there are some that I am really enjoying, others not so much.

Moisturisers

I have used the original Palmer's cocoa formula before and rather enjoyed walking around smelling like a slab of chocolate. Their range is all reasonably priced and it does a great job of keeping my skin hydrated. This coconut oil formula seems harder to rub in and I'm not a lover of the scent I'll be honest. But I think I got the bottle for under £3 on offer in Superdrug and it'll do.
The Vaseline oil isn't something I've seen before, and I like an oil for summer - it gives skin a lovely dewy sheen that works wonders for dull, lifeless skin that hasn't seen sun for God knows how long! Again this was on offer, it slowly sinks in to the skin throughout the day and keeps my skin feeling hydrated all day. This is my favourite out of the two for sure. I also think it'll be great for my upcoming holiday over a tan, I am not an aftersun lover at all.

Cleansers

Micellar cleansing waters hit the scene big time a few years ago and I remember trying a L'Oreal one but not being overly sold. This Garnier bottle was (again!) reduced so I threw it in my basket immediately as I am getting a bit bored of my current Lancome one. I use it in my morning routine to wake up my skin, emptying a few drops on to a cotton pad and gently rubbing in circular movements over my face and neck, it lifts any excess nightcream and prepares my face for my toner. I really like this water, great for sensitive skin and also fab at this time of year as it is so light.
The Superdrug Vitamin E cleansing oil is just divine. I've used this product before and remember it being great value for money. Nothing has changed! I use this one in the evening after removing my makeup with my Lancome Bi-Facil remover. As it is a dual phase oil, you have to shake the bottle to mix the product. It has such a lovely scent, it helps to remove any remaining makeup from my face and neck, and it also brings moisture back into my skin. Love it.

Handcream

Aveeno is a brand you may or may not have heard of before, if you haven't then you need to try their products! I have heard mothers raving about their moisturisers, using them on their little ones as babies are prone to dry skin. My hands were looking seriously dry and in need of some love so I picked this up for around a fiver. I really believe looking after the skin on your hands is important as that can give away your age! Not that I'm old, but prevention is better than cure. This is a lovely formula, with no overbearing scent. It isn't greasy either, which I absolutely hate in handcreams!

Beauty Sponge

This little orange sponge is a makeup game changer! I had seen lots of beauty vloggers using these little sponges to blend their foundations, concealers and contour creams, and their faces looked totally flawless. Ever find that your foundation brush leaves little brush lines on your face? Well then you need to get a sponge. This one was £6 and is by Real Techniques. I like to apply my foundation with my brush, then I'll apply my concealer under my eyes and blend that in using this sponge, then eventually dabbing over my entire face to get rid of any lines and get a more finished look. Best used when wet!

Superdrug Peel & Eye Cream

These two products I am not so keen on. I have used them a few times now but not really seeing any benefits. I find that the eye cream makes my eyes water so it is generally uncomfortable and the product seems to just sit on the skin and not really go anywhere.
The overnight peel doesn't seem to have made any difference to my face so I am left wondering why I bothered using it. I found it a teensy bit drying, which I imagine would happen with a peel? You have to be very careful to use a day cream the next day with SPF in it too. Both products were a great price, but I wouldn't buy them again.

What beauty buys have you made recently? Any that you love or hate? Let me know in the comments below!

Chloe x

September Beauty Haul

Last week I (finally!) received my Younique products and I am so excited to share with you all.

I ordered the Cloud Nine collection for £113 and it includes so much!

Touch Liquid Foundation, Touch Skin Perfecting Concealer, Addiction Eyeshadow Palette, Precision Brow Liner & Brow Gel, Opulence Lipstick and their famous 3D+ Fibrelash Mascara.

The foundation is silky to the touch and a little goes a really long way, which is great if you like to build your coverage. It is a matte finish foundation and lasts all day.

The concealer comes up quite dark so I would recommend choosing a shade lighter than your foundation colour. Again you only need a small amount and I apply mine by dabbing with my finger tips over my dark circles (the uniform of a new mum!)

View the collection here.

I also used Younique's Beachfront Bronzer but that is not included in the collection. There are three shades to choose from, I have Hermosa. The pigments in these bronzers are incredible, the colour is so pretty! They have a subtle shimmer to highlight your face. Use your bronzer brush in a number 3 motion starting from the centre of your forehead, going over the cheekbones and jawline. Repeat on each side as many times as you wish to get your desired bronze goddessy look!!

Now ask anyone that knows me, they'll tell you how much I love eye shadows! So I was really eager to try these ones out. There are three palettes to choose from and I ordered the third. I used the shades Tickled, Determined, Flippant & Irate. As it was day time when I tried these, I didn't go too smokey, might have looked a bit silly in the Post Office queue!

I finished my eyes with one coat of the mascara. Now if you haven't tried this, you need to. I have tried every mascara known to man and nothing even touches the power of this! You can add coat after coat to get a real false lash look if that is what you like - perfect for date night or Saturday night cocktails with the girls!

I am a presenter for Younique and love the opportunity it has given me to connect with women and empower them through beauty. I heard about the brand through my Mum, she had to work really hard to convince me that the makeup was worth a try - I was such a product snob before! Now my dressing table is covered with Younique products and I swear by them. If you'd like to know more about joining the company, you can email me at chloelstephenson@gmail.com.

What do you think of my makeup? Any of you tried some new products I need to know about?

Chloe x

Beauty Buys

I just wanted to update you on some of my most recent beauty buys. These items I purchased the week of the my wedding in an almost panic that I wasn't happy with what I already had!

Base: I heard amazing things about Bobbi Brown's Skin Foundation and had tried a few testers and fell in love. It is super light and silky, a little goes a long way and gives great coverage. I wanted something that didn't feel too cake-y, and used Bare Minerals Mineral Veil over the top to set and take away any shine for the wedding photos!

Eyes: I purchased the top eyeshadow a few months back when I had a tutorial with Bobbi Brown in Canterbury. Then I had seen the two below on another shopping trip and fell in love. The first colour is Smokey Quartz, this goes well over light colours or blended to the outer corner of your eye and has a gorgeous glitter in it, best used with your finger not a brush.

The middle shade is Champagne Quartz which I used as my all over eyelid colour, this also has a nice sheen to it - I hardly ever use matte shadows. This can also be used as a lovely golden brow highlighter if you wanted to take the colour all the way up to really make your eyes pop and gives a gorgeous glow.

Finally the bottom colour is Ballet Pink which I used in the middle of my lid to emphasise the colour of my eyes, this also has a glitter to it which I lightly dabbed in the inner corner of my eye.

My mum has tried so many mascaras so I know her word to be true when she gives a recommendation! She has always trusted Lancôme hypnose and I've found their mascaras last, don't generally smudge or give you panda eyes at 3pm! 

I went for the Hypnose Drama Waterproof in case I cried! It lasted all day and didn't smudge - result!

Can you tell a trend to the brands I always buy?!

Finally, a purchase I've made since the wedding is the new Lancôme Vissionaire Cream. It says it is advanced multi correcting and feels almost like a serum because it is so light and silky. It was £59 at House of Fraser but I have to say it is money well spent! I use it morning and night, my skin feels more hydrated, has reduced redness and appears more plumped! Great!

Skincare products for me are so important, I see them as an investment and will hopefully mean I don't need Botox in later life!

What beauty purchases have you made recently?

Chloe x

A Bridal Makeup Lesson at the Bobbi Brown Counter

In January I booked a makeup tutorial at the Bobbi Brown counter in Fenwicks, Canterbury for last week.
I'd always known I wanted to do my own makeup for my wedding, as I feel like I am reasonably good at doing it, I just needed to learn about how to create the best long lasting base, what looks good in photos etc.
I also think that I'd rather spend a few hundred pounds on decent products I can use again, than have someone I don't know come in on the morning of my wedding and maybe not get it right!

The look that I am trying to achieve would be quite glamourous, more attention paid to the eyes than lips, I'd say my eyes (and my hair) are probably my best features so I want to highlight that.
I love Bobbi Brown products and really don't have enough of them! My makeup artist Anna was super friendly and chatty, found out what I was looking for and really got me involved in the choosing of colours etc - which I thought was fab, not some know-it-all MUA doing whatever they like.

First off Anna used an oil cleanser and hydrating tonic on my skin to get rid of any makeup on my skin already. Then I had hydrating eye cream and the vitamin enriched face cream, it was super soft and smelt divine!
Then came the Bisque Correcter - a product I've read rave reviews on so was eager to see what it was like on my skin. It was great to even out my skin, and dark circles or patchy areas.

The foundation Anna used was the shade Warm Beige and advised me that anything with an SPF higher than a 15 is going to really wash me out in my wedding photos!

A light skin powder was then used with a powder brush to hold it all in place!
To add colour back to my face Anna used the Golden Light Bronzer in a 3 shape - from the centre of the forehead round under the eye to highlight the cheek, then over the jaw line (repeat on each side!)

The blusher Anna used on the apples of my cheeks was called Pink Sugar - it had shimmer in it which I prefer, I don't like to look too matte. To just add a further flush of colour, she added Pale Pink to make my cheeks really pop!

Now my favourite part - my EYES!
To cover the entire eye, the Long Wear Cream shadow in Shore was used as a base - this would also be perfect just as an eyeshadow on its own. Then Bone Eye Shadow was used to cover the lid, with Rich Brown on the lower lid and Smokey Quartz dabbed on with a fingertip.

Anna then used the Black Ink Gel Liner on the upper lids to bring extra glam to my eyes! This looked so easy to apply with the Eye Liner Brush, and that has been a real issue for me in the past - trying to get the right liquid liner is such a pain!
Lash Glamour Extreme Lengthening Mascara was used to give me long lushious lashes!
Sable Eyeshadow was used to fill in my brows to frame my face.

And finally for my lips, I usually just wear a clear or pale pink glass, but Anna explained that opting for something darker will make them stand out a bit more in my photos - however, Bobbi Brown's mantra  is that you should pick a colour close to your natural lip shade for the best look.
This is a rule I think that really works and Anna told me it also applies to blushers too!
Bikini Pink lipstick was used with a dash of Bright Pink gloss over the top for extra shine!

So what do you think? I love the eyeshadow colours and think they work really well with green eyes - my eyes seem to really stand out! It was also unbelievable how long it all lasted - it was applied at 11:30 and looked super fresh come 8pm that night - so I have huge confidence in these products.

Above is the summary sheet of all the products Anna used in my tutorial and I honestly wanted to buy them all!

Here I am after a few hours wear, out in the natural light to really see what it looked like - I love it!

You can buy all Bobbi Brown products here.

Are you a fan of Bobbi Brown? Or what are your go-to beauty brands? I'd love to know!

Chloe x