Introducing / Stila

I got my eyes on the Stila palettes for a while. There are a few different ones on the market, all based around pretty neutral shades but with few variations.

Stila In The Garden Eye Shadow Palette* also includes a couple of brighter colours and, if you're not too sure how to incorporate them, the set includes a booklet with ideas and tips.

All eyeshadows are extremely pigmented and smooth to blend together.

My personal favourite combination is with Moss & Jupiter. I use the neutral colour all over the lid and then the teal as an accent in the crease.

Rosette - the purple shade - is also fantastic with Breeze and Freesia, used as a liner.

l-r: chinois, breeze, bark, freesia, rosette

l-r: nectar, honey, sage, moss, juniper

You also get a full size of Stila Smudge Stick Waterproof Eyeliner in Moray with this set; I have used this liner before and actually managed to finish it! It's a beautiful khaki green with silver shimmer and impressive staying power.

To summarise, I'd definitely recommend this beauty if you are not looking for your typical (and maybe a bit boring) neutral palette and you're not afraid to experiment with colour shadows.

Stila Stay All Day Vinyl Lip Gloss are lacquer lipstick with an impressive punch of colour. I love the super shiny finish - great to add volume to fine lips, like mine - but still with the creamy texture that I prefer in lipsticks. 

They are extremely comfortable on the lips, non-sticky or drying; they are also enriched with seaweed extract and organic green coffee oil to keep the lips moisturised throughout the day.

Nude Vinyl* is a beautiful dusty rose that compliments beautifully the eyeshadows from the In The Garden palette, actually. It's still into the neutral spectrum I think, and it's the ideal finish touch to complete any look.

It's such a pretty shade and I've fallen in love with it that I can see myself rocking it well into Spring too!

So, what do you think of Stila make up? Any recommendation/must have items? :)

Xmas Ideas / Orla Kiely Mini Diffuser and Candle Set

Orla Kiely is an Irish contemporary designer renowned for her colourful and retro, distinctive prints. 

I love her creations and I've been lusting after her coats and dresses for few years but unfortunately, they are a bit out of my price range.

If like me you're on a budget, you can still treat yourself to a bit of Orla Kiely with the stunning Christmas 2013 Gift Sets. 

There is a Geranium Hand Wash and Hand Lotion and Ceramic Dish Set that - for example - is perfect for mums, or the Geranium Bath and Face Cloth Set for your best friend.

Personally, I fell in love with the Mini  Diffuser and Candle Set* that comes in 2 distinctive fragrances: Geranium & Myrrh or Basil & Mint. They have a stunning red or white trademark floral print on frosted glass and beautifully packed in a matching box.

I like to lit candles on my bedside table; I find the flickering of the flame relaxing when I read a book and cosy when I'm typing away on the laptop. The Basil and Mint scent is extremely refreshing and not your typical scent, that will please and impress the most demanding person too.

I'm actually saving the reed diffuser for Christmas day; they will be perfect in my hall to infuse the whole house with this refreshing and inviting scent and to welcome my guests.

And it's pretty stylish too, of course! ;) 

This is a very thoughtful present to gift to a special person in your life… and I hope you have some shopping money left in your pocket because you will surely want to treat yourself too!

Xmas Ideas / Urban Decay Shattered Face Case

I think the Urban Decay Shattered Face Case* tops the chart for the coolest Christmas present of 2013. 

First - it's Urban Decay, second - it's the ultimate complete palette with 5 eyeshadows, 2 blushes, highlighter, eyeliner and lip gloss! And third - the double-decker design is pretty cool too.

 The case is compact and sturdy enough that you can throw it into your luggage for your next city break or carry it around in your handbag for a day-to-night transformation. For both occasions, you have everything you need - It holds an excellent array of products and 2 full size mirrors, too.

The eyeshadows selection is very clever and simply perfection: a mix of browns and neutrals with a gorgeous purple, for good measure.

Bleach and Minor Sin are the all over lid pale, base colours; bleach is a matte yellowy beige and Minor Sin is a light pink with gold shimmer.

Shakedown and Nameless are the 2 brown toned shadows, yet very different; Shakedown has a warm, gold undertone and metallic finish, whilst Nameless is a satin taupe with prevalent grey undertone. 

Finally, Remix is a shimmery deep purple colour and metallic finish.

l-r: bleach, minor sin, shakedown

l-r: remix, nameless

The blushes and highlighter have the same superior quality of the eyeshadows; the new powder formula applies smoothly and blends seamlessly into the skin.

Overexposed is a matte muted rose colour - Temper is also a matte, cool toned medium pink; Glint - the highlighter and my favourite - is a finely milled peachy gold, not chalky at all and very flattering on the cheekbones.

 

l-r: overexposed, temper, glint

The 24/7 Glide-On Eye Pencil in Zero is your perfect  basic liner to add depth to the eyes and the quality of these pencils is well-known. 

The Super-Saturated High Gloss Lip Color in Lovechild is the prettiest shade of pink that will flatter most skintones; it has blue undertone, an incredible glossy finish and great pigmentation. It's love!

 I can't get over how compact it is and still full of goodies inside... and even better, it's a true bargain for £30, I think.
It was instant love for this palette! There is not one single colour that I'm not gonna use and it has already become an essential for my everyday looks!

An Evening with... L'Occitane

Last week I was invited for a personal tour of the new refurbished L'Occitane store in Glasgow.

For the people not too familiar with Glasgow, the store is right in the city centre, on Buchanan street and just outside the gorgeous Princes Square.

Stepping inside you're transported into a sensorial rustic haven, that you could easily find in the south of France. I'm no stranger to visiting the store myself and it was a beautiful space even before, but now it has these extra chicness touches. The wood and metal accents of the shelves marry beautifully with the terracotta flooring and the piece-de-resistance is definitely the chandelier - made from Rose Eau de Toilette bottles!

Thomas, the store manager, is the most genuine and knowledgeable person and he walked me through their star skincare products, their new scents and also pampered me with a much needed hand massage.

Fist, we started with skincare: the Immortelle Milk Make Up Remover is the perfect first step for your evening routine; it removes any trace of make up and impurities, gentle enough for the eyes too and can be used with or without water, depending on your preference.
Then the Immortelle Divine Lotion and I was totally blown away! I've been using this product for a couple of months and I can feel the different it has made to my skin... but today I could also see it! When Thomas applied it to my left hand and then I compared it with my other hand, the difference was incredible! The skin was so much brighter, smoother and any sign of redness GONE!!! Currently, I have been using it in the evenings, but this baby is going to be upgraded to twice a day for sure!!!
The Immortelle Divine Cream is another star product that also won the 2013 Harper's Bazaar Award for Best Anti-Aging Cream; it has been totally reformulated, 5 years in the making and contains 7 essential oils. It's ideal for day, night and for the neck area too.
To really step up your routine, you can add the Immortelle Divine Extract before the cream, which is your serum of choice; it's a 5 patents, high formulation that helps preserve firmness and regeneration of the cells.
Finally, we can't forget about the Immortelle Divine Eyes, which is effective yet gentle for the delicate eye area; this balm targets all concerns, like dark circles, puffiness, fine lines and tone up the skin too.

Then, we moved to my hand massage: Thomas used all the products from The Secret to Beautiful Hands which is a new introduction for the Holidays 2013.
First, we soaked my digits in Almond Supple Skin Oil to soften the skin and cuticles; I kinda of feel I'm preaching to the choir here... who doesn't know and love this product already??!
Onto the gift set - It contains 1 Minute Hand Scrub that can be used twice a week to get rid of dead skin cells and nourish, thanks to its oily base (shea, sweet almond and grapeseed oils).
 There's also a full size 75ml Shea Butter Hand Cream  - which comes with a metal Magic Key - and a tube of Hand & Cuticle Cream; the latter is a concentrated 30% Shea Butter version that can be used everyday to strengthen nails and cuticles and then as a treatment, once a week.

Finally, we chatted about the new fragrances which I'm pleased to say they are part of the permanent collection!
Fleur d'Or & Acacia for her, marries mimosa from Grasse and acacia from the Mediterranean; it's surprisingly floral but the musky and warm notes of the Acacia wood, makes it suitable for winter months too. The scented candle will be definitely coming home with me veeeery soon! :)
Cedre & Oranger is the scent for him; the woody notes of the cedar makes it a timeless masculine fragrance but with a fresh twist, coming from the citrus notes.

This is the perfect time of the year to discover the brand because there are many gift sets with fantastic value for money, starting from under 20 pounds. If you want to treat yourself or a loved one, the whole team is extremely helpful and welcoming and I heartily invite you to pay them a visit, during a Christmas shopping trip.

Massive thank you to Sophie and L'Occitane for making it happen and Thomas for his warmness and generous present. 

Empties / November 2013

Body Items:

Dove Shape Up Firming Body Cream: this body cream has a lovely fresh scent and absorbs easily into the skin... unfortunately didn't make any improvement to my skin whatsoever! With other products, I do see a change with constant use but used this one for nearly 2 months... and nothing. Shame 'cause it's also reasonably priced at about 5 quid.

Repurchase: nope.

Burt's Bees Beewax & Banana Hand Cream: this is the best cream for keeping your hands and cuticles in good conditions or in case of emergency. It's super thick so I only use it before bed but every night without fail. Love the banana scent and last ages.

Repurchase: yep.

No7 Revitalising Hand Saviour: I always use an hand scrub before painting my nails; this is quite pricey but very good (and with the Boots voucher you can save a few pounds). It's a quick and easy way to care for your hands, without wasting too much time or if you don't have time. It leaves the skin super-soft and nourished, thanks to almond and grapeseed oil, and it smells lovely too.

Repurchase: yes.

Face Items:

Botanics Cleansing Face Wipes All Bright: I was actually pleasantly surprised wit these wipes. The material is very soft - cotton-like - not abrasive and don't have any particular scent; they are properly soaked in remover and stayed wet until the last one. They did remove make-up quite well, even mascara, although I can't vouch for the waterproof part.

Repurchase: probably yes.

Clinique All About Eyes: what to add about this product? I haven't come across anybody which doesn't like it, honesty... definitely a winning product from Clinique and best seller.

One of my all time favourite eye cream, if not my favourite! I've been using it for years - on and off, simply because I like to test other products too but come back to this pot regularly. I love the texture, how it performs and perfect for sensitive or allergic-prone skin.

Repucharse: oh yes!

Philosophy The Microdelivery Exfoliating Wash: I fell in love with this product. The exfoliant particles are really fine and I feel it really refines the skin, every time I use it. It's lovely and gentle on the skin and scent-free.

Repurchase: yep... stay tuned for a Philosophy haul very soon ;)

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Congrats to Carly from http://carlywatts.blogspot.co.uk/ for winning the Autumn Giveaway... your goodies are on the way, girl! :) xxx