Big March and February Reading Wrap Up

I seem to say this every single time I sit down to write a blog post now, but it's honestly been forever since I last sat down to write. I put a whole load of pressure on myself to write something monumental (especially at the moment) and it seems pointless and trivial to just write something mundane and bookish. However, that basically sums up my life, especially in lockdown.

Review of 'Between the Lies' by Cathy MacPhail*

This year is the year that I'm DETERMINED to become the bookworm I was in my childhood. And two and a half months in, I can safely say that I really am doing this, and I love it. 

Remember This When You're Sad

Mental health books aren't really my cup of tea. Any that I've attempted to read in the past have seemed too prescriptive, and too narrow to do anything other than trigger me and make me feel as though I'm not doing enough to help my mental health. They always seem to focus on the way to make things better, rather than acknowledging that different things can negatively impact your mental health, and that there are many different disorders that have many different impacts.

Liz Earle Cleanse and Polish Snapshot Review

I know there are about 3 billion reviews of this lil' beauty piece on the Internet because it's just so damn fabulous. But there's always room for one more, right? I'm going to (try to) keep this short and sweet, as I'm sure that somewhere along the line you'll have already heard someone raving about this.

Book of the month - 'Station Eleven'

2017 is going to see some changes on my blog, and one of them will be an increase in bookish posts. If you're not into that then soz, but it'll be happening regardless. Books make up such a massive part of my life that it just makes no sense to confine them to my secondary blog anymore. I'll not be posting the same content on both blogs of course - that's going to stay firmly review filled, whilst I'll be making posts like this one, book hauls and other quirky book-related posts here on Nourish ME. 
Winter always sees an increase in how much I read. It's a great way to slow down time as time seems to be ever quickening in the lead up to Christmas. Despite reading a few great books this month, Station Eleven really shone out for me. I was totally hooked. And by that I mean reading until I fall asleep with the book in my hand, reading snippets on my bus journey to work, and curling up with the book during every spare moment I had. 
In a world that seems so fucked up right now (sorry 2016 but you did shit on us all a bit) it was both comforting and terrifying to read this dystopian novel from Emily St John Mandel. Comforting in that the end of the world as we know it didn't involve a dictatorial American president, but concerning in that the world was stripped of everything we hold dear.
Now, I'm not going to lie, I may have picked this up because the blurb reminded me of 'The Walking Dead'. But that's totally acceptable. The main premise of Station Eleven is that the world has been hit by a flu pandemic, killing 99% of the population. As the flu rapidly spreads across North America, amenities such as groceries and electricity are wiped out. People are forced to endure horrific tragedies as they watch their family members die, only to be left in a world that forces them to go back to the root of their ancestors. 
Mandel switches between the present - 20 years after the pandemic hits - and the past to show the difference between the two worlds. A twenty year gap means there are a whole host of people that never experienced planes, cars, telephones, the internet: everything we use on a daily basis. And it raises the question of whether they're better off not knowing the world as it was before. 
With a sudden loss of family and friends, people either band together or become lonesome nomads. We read of the group of people living in an airport, joined together as if family because they were in the same place when the flu struck. The main text however centres around a travelling symphony, who bear the motto 'survival is insufficient'; a motto they, oddly enough, gained from Star Trek. 
One of the most interesting things about Station Eleven is possibly that it contains no true central protagonist. We could say it's Arthur Leander, an actor whose life is featured in much of the book. Or it could be several of his ex-wives. Or Kirsten Raymonde, a lead actor in the travelling symphony. Or even Clarke Thompson, Arthur's best friend. 
I love books that come with a character's back story. By interweaving the lives and plot projection of so many of the main characters, Mandel gradually reveals to us the driving forces of a diverse group of people struck by a world disaster. It raises the question: what would it do to you? Is survival insufficient? 
Indeed, when the travelling symphony reach a town that a couple of their band decided to live in, they realise that not everyone has coped with the tragedy as well as they may have done. The town has fallen victim to a mysterious prophet, who believes that him and his people have been saved from the plight of others' because of an innate goodness or, in his case, an innate divinity. When the symphony can get no answers from any of the townsfolk regarding the whereabouts of their settled members, they start to wonder whether the prophet is more dangerous than he originally seemed.
I basically need a sequel to this to come out asap! Have you read it? What is your book of the month?
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Rimmel's The Only 1 Matte Lipstick Range*

I am a massive fan of Rimmel lipsticks, let's be honest. If you've been around here for a while you might remember me talking about their Rimmel by Kate 15th anniversary collection, or my love for some of their core nude lip colours. Anyhow, I love how easily their lip colours glide on and the shape of the lipstick itself makes application super easy. But, in recent months I've started to move slightly away from these favourites to more long lasting liquid lipsticks in order to keep my lip colour on for longer without reapplication. 

You can imagine my absolute glee and *pinch myself* moment then when Rimmel were kind enough to send me their whole new matte lipstick line. I was in a state of disbelief all day when these came through my door - I just couldn't believe that they would take the time out to send their new line to me for my little blog. I felt like a truly lucky girl. They've released nine new shades for this line, ranging from a dark berry red all the way to a 'your lips but better' style nude. 

Matte lipsticks are what it's all about in Winter in my opinion. In Summer I tend to go for creamier, paler nude colours. Dark, vampy looks (my favourite at this time of year) need a little bit of a more long-lasting impact in my opinion, as it's so much more obvious when they begin to wear off. 

Last week me and my boyfriend celebrated our four year anniversary together, and this package landed on my doorstep on that very day. So, when we went out for our special evening meal together, I went armed with 'The Matte Factor'*, which is a red hued purple. This one actually reminded me a little bit of MAC's Sin, but without the high price tag. 

My first impression of the lipstick was put down a little bit by its scent. I don't know why they decided to go with something so strong, and it smells a little bit like flowers, or very sugary sweets. However, (thankfully) the smell does wear off once the lipstick has dried. After that, however, I was well and truly impressed. It survived wine, four or five cups of green tea and a good two/three rounds of sushi without showing much wear! I brought the lipstick out with me just in case it was needed for a top-up but I ended up going home with my original layer on. 

I am so so excited about this release from Rimmel - finally we have a good quality matte lipstick for an affordable price (these come in at £6.99, but are on 3 for 2 at Superdrug at the moment). The range of nudes, darks and brights is also pretty impressive, and if there's one thing that I love about lipstick ranges, it's when they have pretty cool names for each shade. From bottom to top on my arm swatch, the shades are as follows: Leader of the Pink*, Call the Shots*, Salute*, Take the Stage*, High Flyer*, Trendsetter*, Look Who's Talking*, Run the Show* and The Matte Factor*. All of these names scream 'I'm a sassy girl in control of her own life' to me, and I love the idea of thinking that I can and will do/be any one of these things when I wear the lipstick. 

Have you tried these yet?

*Although products in this post were sent to me for the purpose of a review, all opinions are as always my own*

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Review of 'No Plus One'* by Stephanie Young and Jill Dickman

Correct me if I'm wrong, but I *think* this might be the first ever book review I've posted on Nourish ME???? Sometimes I sit back and consider how strange it is that I never cover my love of books over here, even though you all know I did an English Lit degree, so I must at least like them, right? Well *spoiler alert* I do. I actually have an entirely separate blog (which you can check out here) which is dedicated to all of my  book reviews. I think having book reviews on here all the time would clog everything up and mean I post lifestyle/beauty things less often, which is why everything is separate.
Enough of the little intro and shameless secondary blog promo: onto the review, right? The first thing I have to say is that I've never read anything like it. I'm not really a non-fiction kind of gal. Hand me a Hardy or a Shakespeare and I'm good to go, but a non-fiction book will trump me at first and likely send me off to sleep. I don't even read biographies, which are at least partially made up of fact.
However, No Plus One* isn't your ordinary kind of non-fiction book. It's set up as a kind of manual, with each chapter containing a lesson and a piece of homework at the end. The entire book is about dealing with single life as an adult, and honestly? Reminds me a little bit of something you'd find on Vix Meldrew's blog. Which is fab. 
You learn so many things about single life - from why it's important to know who you really are rather than moving from one relationship to the next, to what you should do regarding the 'should I/shouldn't I' sex question. It gently guides you through an entire thought process of considering what you really want out of a relationship. And honestly, if you're umming and ahhing about a relationship you're currently in, I would definitely recommend giving it a whirl.
As someone who's been in a relationship for the past (almost) four years, I found it a truly interesting read, discovering what it was like to be single in adulthood, and how different women respond to it. There's a whole section on how to be a supportive friend when someone is going through a dry spell, and I've taken away so much from that. 
This was a really quick read, coming in at just over 100 pages (I believe), and was genuinely the funniest, most honest thing I've read in a while.
Do you think you would like it?
Although products in this post were gifted to me, all opinions are my own as always. Follow me on Bloglovin | Twitter | Instagram | Facebook | Youtube

Restaurant Review | Revolution Bar Plymouth

Confession time guys: I had NEVER been to a Revolution bar until a couple of weeks ago. Apparently that's pretty much some kind of foodie crime as everyone and their mother has been to try some of their awesome cocktails and tasty-ass food. So, when I went to visit my sister in Plymouth a couple of weeks ago (more on that in the near future!) I HAD to give it a go. 
Me, her and my boyfriend all obviously needed to give some of their cocktails a whirl. They had a deal on whereby you got two of the same cocktails for a certain price (possibly £7-ish - don't quote me on that though!). We picked up a couple of Gin 'n' Juices to start. This one was Beefeater gin with elderflower liquer, strawberry puree and a fizzy drink called ting. To be honest, anything that combines gin and elderflower is probably going to be a win in my books, and we all loved this one! 
Next up was Blue Movie. I may or may not have picked this one purely because it has blueberries in - any way to cram some extra nutrients in is a good way right?! This had Absolut Berry Acai vodka in with lemon, apple juice and lemonade. This was definitely my favourite flavour of all the ones we tried, plus the mini milk bottles with candy striped straws these came in were adorable!
Next up we moved onto their 'blank canvas' cocktails. This is Stoli vodka with lemon juice, sugar, soda and a flavour of your choice. Altogether we tried sour berry, big apple, pear drop and most importantly: birthday cake. When my little sister saw this on the menu she HAD to give it a try, and it was oddly quite tasty without being too sweet - it even had a little bit of a sour after-kick. Pear drops was my favourite flavour out of these though, as it tasted EXACTLY like the sweets I used to have as a child, nom! There are masses of flavours to try out, and next time I go I want to give fruit salad and salted caramel popcorn a go, mmmmm. Best of all was that the 'canvas' of these cocktails did indeed arrive 'blank' and you had a little pipette of the flavour and colouring to pop in and mix yourself!
Have I really rambled on that much about cocktails? This was meant to be a short post - whoops! Anyway, on to my favourite part: the food. Although our service was wonderful and our waitress was absolutely lovely, I was totally disappointed by my dessert, or lack thereof. I ordered it at the beginning of the meal, and when it came to the time that they ought to have brought it out I was told that the kitchen was closed. I wouldn't have minded at all if I had ordered it later on, but I've worked in a restaurant before and you can't just not bring food out that someone has ordered at the beginning of their meal. They didn't give me any warning that the kitchen was closing soon and I legitimately almost cried. I mean, I was meant to be getting a salted caramel and chocolate fondue with fruit (does that not sound like heaven?!) and instead I was left with nothing.
However, my starter and main were honestly divine. I went for nachos to start (of course) and I think they were possibly the best nachos of my life. If you've read my Las Iguanas restaurant review you'll know that a restaurant is only as good as its nachos in my opinion. These were so tasty, and Revolution had added vodka to the salsa as a little twist, which made it a bit sweeter than normal, but still totally nom-able. I could eat these time and time again and never get bored. One word of caution: if you're not a fan of spice AVOID THE PEPPERS, they had such an intense after-kick to them I turned into a spluttering tomato after accidentally swallowing one whole. 
For my main I decided to go for something a little different with their panang curry. This came with jasmine rice and was such a nice mild dish. It didn't contain any dairy, as it had coconut milk in instead of cream or yoghurt. My sister and boyfriend both opted for burgers and were pretty envious when this came out of the kitchen!
All in all, we had a great time and I really want to go back again for some yummy food and innovative drinks! *This was not a sponsored post*
Have you ever been? I'd love to hear about your experiences and food & drink recommendations!

NIP + FAB'S GLYCOLIC PADS AND CLEANSING FOAM | REVIEW

 Nip + Fab are a brand that have shot to the top of almost every blogger's skincare recommendation list in the last year or two, and so I HAD to give them a go. I was pretty much ecstatic when I found this pair of goodies under the Christmas tree from my sister way back on December 25th. This post has been a while in the making simply because I wanted to crack my serial skin care hoarding habit by using up some half used products before starting on these, and because I wanted to try them out for a good month or so before talking about them in detail. If you've read my March favourites post then you'll already know that the glycolic fix cleansing foam was one of my absolute favourites last month. 

Packaging

Both the glycolic fix cleansing foam and the glycolic fix daily cleansing pads come in a sturdy plastic tub and have a minimalist design. The packaging was actually my least favourite part of the products. I found that the moisture from the glycolic pads leaked from the tubs if I laid it on its side, which made it almost impossible to take them with me if I was travelling anywhere. As someone who's always visiting family all over the UK this became annoying very quickly. The hard plastic casing of the cleansing foam was equally annoying. You have to squeeze the tube to get the product out, but it's actually very hard to do so, especially if the joints in your hands are particularly weak like mine. This would work perfectly with a pump and I really hope that they repackage this one at some point!

Initial thoughts

I'm not going to lie, I fell TOTALLY in love in the first few days of using these products together. I start off by washing my face first thing in the morning with the glycolic fix cleansing foam, and use the daily pads at night between removing my makeup and putting on moisturiser. I've found that this is the best routine for me, but if you think you'd see better results by using them both together in the morning, then go for it! I mostly do is this way because using the wipes in the evening makes my face feel refreshed when I'm feeling waaay too tired or lazy to actually wash my face with water. 

My skin felt and looked a lot brighter within a couple of days, which made me feel totally wowed. Plus, adding the glycolic fix pads in to my evening routine ensured that I was removing ALL of my makeup, which obviously resulted in my pores being less clogged and my skin being clearer. 

Final opinion

Although I was super impressed at the start, I've come to realise that the Nip + Fab glycolic range is probably not the best one for my skin. I've got combination to dry skin, and the glycolic acid in this pair has been totally drying my skin out. Although it's been looking a lot more clear and fresh, it's been feeling REALLY tight. So, to counteract this, I've been following up both my morning and evening dose of it with Simple's light moisturiser to make sure I can actually wear makeup without my dry patches shining right through. I do have to say as well, that these products have totally reduced (almost eradicated even) the shine on my nose and forehead, which has been amazing. All in all, I probably would repurchase these products because of the clearing and radiating effect they have on my skin, and if you've got oily skin then I would definitely recommend giving these a whirl. 

I'm definitely going to be looking at some of Nip + Fab's other products more suited to my skin soon - do you guys have any recommendations for their products that are good for combination to dry skin?

Restaurant Review | Las Iguanas

I'm currently effectively obsessed with South American food, so Las Iguanas has become a firm favourite in my restaurant repertoire. Nachos are treats from the gods, and in my mind a restaurant is only as good as its nachos (true story). So, when I got some good news recently, me and the boyfriend headed out to Las Iguanas to try a whole range of goodies. Although the restaurant was busy, we had managed to make a booking just a few hours before so didn't have to queue up. Unfortunately we were seated in a really dark corner so the lighting wasn't as great as I would have liked for photos, but we still received great service throughout the meal.
Here's what we picked:
Cocktails:
I decided I was going to try as many cocktails as possible for you guys and I may have failed a tad - not drinking for a while + three cocktails meant I was fairly KO'ed. BUT, I did get to give four a whirl for you, even if I didn't manage to finish them. 
Strawberry Red (Malibu, strawberry liqueur, lemon & cranberry juices & lemonade.)
This is probably my all-time favourite Las Iguanas cocktail. It's not too sweet, and not too bitter. Plus strawberry flavoured anything is pretty much a winner in my books. 
Vanilla Mai Tai (Havana Club Especial rum, Absolut Vanilla vodka, lime juice, almond syrup & bitters.)
This is one of Las Iguanas' new cocktails this season, but was actually my least favourite of the four. I found it a little too strong and bitter for my liking - I like a good amount of mixer!
Pink Passion Fruit (Pink Pigeon vanilla rum, apricot liqueur, Funkin passion fruit purée, vanilla sugar & pineapple juice.)
This was basically heaven - tropical flavours with vanilla and an extra dose of sweetness, mmmmm. Even my passion fruit hating boyfriend enjoyed this one!
Pisco Power (ABA Pisco, Funkin guava purée, agave, apple & lime juices)
This was recommended to us by a friend and is another of Las Iguanas' new cocktails. Cocktails rarely seem to contain apple juice, but this was so tasty I think they definitely ought to more often!
Food
Now onto my favourite part. A few years ago I would have hated to have a meal at Las Iguanas - spice was my worst nightmare, but now I pretty much fantasise about some of the dishes here on a weekly basis.
Taco Sharing Tray   Me and my boyfriend got this to share as a starter (be warned - it's fairly large!). You get to choose three taco fillings, so we got the braised lamb, chipotle chicken and shredded beef. With this you get a small bowl of salsa and one of salad as well as 6 or 7 wraps. Our one disappointment with this was how little salad you got, but the meat was very well seasoned. My personal favourite was the beef - I would definitely recommend giving it a go!
Nachos
If nachos are on a menu, there's a 99% chance I'll order them, so I couldn't give these a miss. I opted for a standard topping of cheese, salsa, guacamole and sour cream (NOM). These were fairly standard nachos for a fairly standard price, so I was hardly wowed, but they did the job.
Pato Taquito
This is honestly what dreams are made of. If you only want to try one thing at Las Iguanas you NEED to give this a whirl! It's roasted duck with caramelised onion in a soft tortilla accompanied by cranberry salsa and oh my word it is tasty. I couldn't finish my meal, so took this home with me and it totally passed the test of still being tasty for the next day's lunch!

All in all I had a fab time at Las Iguanas with good service and yummy food. We didn't have to wait too long for anything (bar the bill - it always seems to be the way, right?!) and I would definitely recommend giving it a go if you're a fan of South American food!
*This post was not sponsored, it simply contains my honest review of the food, drinks and service we received on a busy Saturday night*
Have you been? What would you recommend?

LUSH Kinky Hair Oil Treatment Review

I have a confession to make: I'm a serial LUSH hoarder. This particular product has actually been sat in my bathroom cupboard since I went on my pre-Christmas rampage in November. Yep, November. It was one of those things where I was so excited to use it that I wanted to save it and ended up not using it (please tell me other people do this?!).

Hair Care Tips | New Video

I've really been getting into Youtube recently, and I hope that even a couple of you have been keeping up with my bits and bobs of videos! This week I've got a hair care tips video for you that's all about looking after long and thick hair, making sure you keep it healthy and nourished. 

These are the products I've spoken about in the video:

Avalon Organics Lavender Shampoo

LUSH Karma Komba Shampoo Bar

V05 Revive Me Daily Conditioner

LUSH H'Suan Wen Sua Treatment

John Frieda Frizz Ease Extra Strength Serum

What are your favourites? 

Review of Little Miracles Drinks* | Beating the 3pm Slump

Tea is pretty much my life. I've got a whole shelf of it at home (versus only two shelves of actual food), and I love looking out for new varieties. However, I've never been a fan of iced tea - it's such an odd concept, I mean, I like my tea to be toasty so I can use it as a hand and belly warmer. But, these organic Little Miracles drinks* kind of changed my mind about that. 
I recently worked in an office and found it excruciatingly difficult to stay awake - staring at a screen all day is hardly exciting. So, I found myself relying on sugary snacks to keep me awake, which only really resulted in a vicious cycle of a sugar buzz, then a crash, then a need for more sugar - aka hello vending machine, sigh.
So, I figured these were worth a shot, and I have to say overall I enjoyed them, even if the flavours were a bit hit and miss for me. In the end, if I don't like rooibos tea I'm probably not going to like cold rooibos tea with added ingredients - so bear this in mind if you decide to pick up one of the range in the future! I was pleased that Little Miracles had such a range of herbal teas as the basis for the drinks however and two key flavours definitely stuck out for me: I could drink the green tea & pomegranate* and the lemongrass tea and ginger* versions every day and not get bored. Green tea is my baby and pomegranate is such a delicious flavour that I've gone out and totally stocked up on a whole bunch of these so that I can perk myself up during a blogging or writing slump!
Have you tried any of the flavours? I'd love to know what you thought  

Best of 2015 | My Beauty Picks

2015 was a massive year in beauty for me. From discovering the importance of organic skincare. to finally getting my hands on some decent brushes, to learning how to contour(ish - I'm still a beginner!), I developed so much in my understanding of the beauty world. So, I thought I'd share with you my favourite skincare, hair care and makeup goodies that helped transform my style in 2015. and that I'm looking forward to continue using in 2016.
Haircare:
1.) LUSH H'Suan Wen Hua Hair Treatment. This is my go-to deep treatment for my long and rather unruly hair. It keeps my hair soft and glossy for weeks after I use it and it's my favourite little hair treat. 2.) V05 Plump It Up Amplifying Blow Dry Lotion. This works miracles with my thick but flat hair. Pre-brush I look a little cavewoman-esque, but after I've run a comb through it it gives my hair that extra bit of life it's missing. 3.)John Frieda Frizz Ease Moisture Barrier Intense Hold Hairspray. This saved me during a humid trip to Tenerife this year. I have that problem that seems to come with Irish genes (thanks Mum) where baby hairs stick out at the front of your head at any sign of potential moisture. This generally means goodbye Blake Lively aka Serena Van Der Woodsen high pony tails and hello being the 'before' Anne Hathaway in The Princess Diaries. But, this actually keeps my hair under control in a way that no other hair sprays have don. 4.) John Frieda Extra Strength 6 Effects Serum. This combined with the hairspray above is what dreams are made of. You basically whack a tiny bit onto your hands (which means it lasts forever, unless you accidentally spill half a bottle all over your bed, ffs) and comb it through wet hair from root to tip and voila you have hair that is actually manageable and protected when it comes to drying it!
Skincare:
1.) Benefit's Foamingly Clean Facial Wash. This was probably my all time favourite beauty product of the entire year, so much so that I've dedicated a whole post to reviewing it here. This product smells so good and is something that I always reach for, especially when I'm breaking out. It seems to hold the perfect middle balance between being light enough for every day use, and strong enough to clear up and avoid any breakouts. 2.) Simple Kind to Skin Hydrating Light Moisturiser. This has a firm spot in the heart of a lot of bloggers. My combination skin often breaks out if I moisturise, but when it's a little on the dry side a dab of this before bed time balances my skin out perfectly and leaves me feeling refreshed. 3.) LUSH Brazened Honey Face Mask. Usually I only buy LUSH face masks once. i get the opportunity to head in there so rarely that I like to try out different things, but Brazened Honey had me bowled over so much that I repurchased it (madness!) 4.) LUSH Snow Fairy Shower gel. Now this is something that pretty much every blogger and her mother picks up at Christmas time. A limited edition LUSH product, it's only released in the couple of months preceding Christmas, and sells out uber-quickly. This basically makes me smell like a fairy and is one of the few super pink and shimmery girly things you'll catch me indulging myself in. 5.) The Body Shop Frosted Cranberry Body Butter. This is one of The Body Shop's three key Christmas scents and I always make sure I grab a tub in the sales. I love using it all year round for a sent that's not overly sweet or too musky. Plus it keeps my skin super soft. 6.) The Body Shop Spa of the World African Ximenia Scrub. This entire range was incredible - a spa at home is something (my) dreams are made of, and this scrub was my favourite of the lot. I have very sensitive skin, so often scrubs are simply too harsh and painful for me, but the particles in this were fine enough to soften my skin without marring it. 
Makeup (face):
1.)  Real Techniques Expert Face Brush. This brush was my first foray into the world of proper beauty brushes. Don't get me wrong, I owned them, but they were incredibly cheap and simply incomparable to this. Now my foundation could be spread evenly and blended into my skin effortlessly. If you're a beginner in the world of decent makeup brushes this is definitely the first step I'd advise taking. 2.) Ecotools Mattifying Finish Brush. Not only does this look SO pretty, but it's also the perfect highlighter brush. It allows me to sweep a cheeky bit of shimmer across my cheeks, allowing me to feel confident enough to face everything that the day throws at me. 3.) Real Techniques Miracle Complexion Sponge. This is massively popular with a lot of beauty bloggers out there and I can definitely see why. My contour game was upped massively due to the incredible blending abilities it offers (no more streaky bronzing!). 4.) Makeup Revolution Pressed Powder in porcelain soft pink. This goes on post foundation and pre contour and effectively smooths and mattifies my foundation. For £2 it's definitely a must buy in my books. 5.) MUA Undress Your Skin Highlighting Powder - Iridescent Gold. Even the name of this makes my beauty blogger senses tingle. It was the perfect highlighter for the Christmas period and is great for adding a little subtle shimmer to an evening party. 6.) Barry M Chisel Cheeks Contour Kit. As I've mentioned before, I'm hardly the queen of contour, and I was advised that this was a fab product for beginners, and I have to say my advisers weren't lying. There are three shades in the product, a white powder, a light brown and a deep brown. i only tend to use the latter two as I prefer my MUA highlighter, but the two products combined have a crazy effect - I mean, it actually looks as though I have cheekbones underneath my hamster cheeks!
Makeup (eyes):
7.) Rimmel Wonder'full Mascara with Argan Oil. This both softens and lengthens my eyelashes, making sure that they stay in good condition. 8.) Max Factor False Lash Effect Mascara. I'm pretty much too much of a wimp/inaccurate with my hands to put fake lashes on, so this is the second best thing. I've been a big fan of Benefit's They're Real mascara, but I'd say the benefits (get it?) of this one almost equal it for under half the price tag. 9.) Maybelline Eye Studio Master Precise Ink Pen Eyeliner in Black. I think everybody goes through a transition of eyeliners, usually starting with a pencil and ending up at either liquid or gel. I've been a massive fan of gel eyeliner for the past couple of years, but a slightly shaky hand, a laziness for washing my brush frequently and a small variance in my eye shape meant that 90% of the time my eyeliner didn't match on both eyes. At all. However, Maybelline stepped in with a miracle product - thank god for over browsing in Superdrug. This pen is almost effortless and allows you to create the tiniest of cat flicks and the most dramatic wings. 10.) Makeup Revolution Ultra Flawless Eyeshadow Palette. This has allowed me to be more adventurous with my makeup than ever before. A combination of day and night shades means you've pretty much got all of your go-to looks in one simple palette!
Makeup (lips):
1.) Rimmel Kate Lasting Finish Timeless All (08). I'm not usually the greatest lippy fan, preferring to go for bold eyes over bold lips, but this is the perfect shade for everyday use for me. This lets me get the confidence boosting kick from wearing some sass on my lips without it being too obvious and blatantly smearing everywhere when I decide to chow down. 2.) LUSH Mint Julips Lip Scrub. We all know that a lot of 'saviours' for our lips actually contain drying ingredients, making us feel the need to wear more lip balm and therefore buy more product. Most people bite their nails, but I chew my lips (disgusting but true), meaning I'm always in need of a saviour for my lips. LUSH have here provided an answer to my prayers. their mint julips lip scrub not only tastes exactly like a sugary mint chocolate chip ice cream, but also contains natural softening, but not drying ingredients. 3.) KORRES Jasmine Lip Butter. This is a bit of a 2 in 1. Not only does it keep your lips softened with natural organic ingredients, but it also provides a subtle feminine lip tint to your smackers. What were your favourites last year?

Seasonal Shades ! My Festive Nail Polish Picks

I'm not sure how, or why, putting pretty colours on my fingernails has such a massive effect on my self esteem, but as soon as my bare nails are no longer visible, I seem to gain an ounce or two of sass. So, I thought I'd share with you the ones I've been loving in the lead up to Christmas. 
Maybelline's Dr Rescue has provided me with the perfect base and top layer. It keeps my nail paint from chipping way more than just letting it be does (I'm slightly ham-fisted so it usually disintegrates in about an hour!)
Deep reds, glitter and dark shades have been my go-to this entire season, and the Barry M Black Pistachio Gelly Hi-Shine has been top of the list. Not only is it super glossy, but it is a deliciously festive shade, and I think it would look amazing with some deep red dots on it. 
The reds I've fallen in love with this season include Revlon's new Colorstay gel envy in Queen of Hearts. This was the deepest red I've used. Alongside this, my Maybelline Color Show Nail Lacquer in Paint the Town, with a hint of Daring Graffiti on top. 
Finally, for all the purple fans out there, I loved Maybelline's Deep in Violet nail lacquer, especially for evening events I've been headed to!
What shades have been your go-to this season?