Daytime Smoky Eyes with Yves Rocher

To me , Yves Rocher is a brand you know can deliver on quality products, and after trying out some of their skincare products such as their hand and body creams and their facial serums I jumped at the opportunity to test out their makeup. I didn't know they made makeup but since their skincare range suits my sensitive skin, I knew that their makeup wouldn't react badly and should be of a high quality.

I've spoken previously of my lack of brown eyeshadows and willingness to use them. As a blonde, I tend to make my eyes stand out with black and silver shadows and liners in contrast with my pale skin and hair. I feel like brunettes can pull off brown shadows more but this gave me the chance to really try them out. I used the Fixing Eyelid Primer* (£12.50) all over my lids first to prevent any eye products creasing and fading away. It adds the most subtle hint of colour which I love as I have an uneven skin tone even on my eyes. The primer contains Camellia oil and fills in wrinkles and fine lines, which I am yet to have. 
I then applied a base colour from the Quad Eyeshadow Sumptuous Colour in Red-Hot Brown* (£25.00) all over my lid, followed by the grey-beige shade in my crease, blending it towards the outer corner with the darkest brown. I applied a little of the shimmery lighter brown all over using a blending brush to smooth out any harsh edges. I was pleasantly surprised that using brown shades suit my hair colour. To line the eyes, I used the Creamy Kohl Eye Pencil* (£15.90). I've experienced the cone-shaped eyeliner before and having not used enough of either, I'm incredibly curious to discover how wide the eyeliner will get as you use it more. Anyway, I smudged this in since I was wearing this in the daytime, I didn't want to look like I was about to hit the town at 9am heading into the library to write my dissertation. The line is fairly black with an easy application but as I said, I don't know how easy it will be to apply once you've used a fair amount.
To complete the look, I applied the Mascara Volume Vertige* (£22.00). The brush feels similar to Benefit's They're Real but a lot thicker. My lashes did look nice, but I'm so fussy with mascaras and I prefer a thick brush without the comb texture. For someone who loves a comb texture and wants a volumising mascara, this is a product for you.
I adore the packaging of these products, the metallic parts of the eyeshadow quad and mascaras look gorgeous together, although they do display your fingerprints beautifully, so I admit I did spend a few minutes wiping them off before I took my photos! All of these products are currently on offer on the Yves Rocher website so head over and have a nose! They include natural ingredients which are a lot nicer than having tons of chemicals, especially when it comes to makeup and skincare products.

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Need-Right-Now Lipstick Shades for S/S ‘15 | ad

It’s not sundresses or cut-out sandals which have us got us excited for the summer but sultry shades of lipstick. It’s time to bust out the brightest colours of the rainbow with hot shades of pink, purple and peach. Store the kohl eyeliner and vampy blushers away and get radiant. Discover the hottest lipstick shades for S/S ’15:

Raspberry Pie by Revlon

We adore this knockout shade of bright pink. The lip butter formula is super moisturising, like a pigmented lip balm. The consistency is glossy and thick making lips appear voluminous and full of life. Leave the rest of your face natural save for a wand of mascara and a light base of foundation.

Peach Blossom by MAC

This nudey-peach shade comes from MAC’s cremesheen collection- another super hydrating formula perfect for combatting the dryness brought on by heat from the sun. This shade is ideal for a day in the office when you want to feel summery but not overdone. Complement your complexion with a pinky-peach blusher such as Benefit’s Hervana.  Sweep over the apples of your cheeks for a fresh, au naturel look.

Electric Orange by Maybelline

Orange is a colour that divides opinion. Unlike pinks, peaches and purples, orange is unmistakably bold and demands attention. If you dare to apply this lip shade then go matchy-matchy with a similar coloured outfit or make your lips pop by wearing all black.

The honey nectar formula nourishes lips and the appearance is bright and glossy. Some orange shades can be too in your face but this one manages to avoid looking garish. Orange looks great paired against olive skin so invest in a good bronzer to give your face that glowing goddess look.

Lavender by Barry M

Barry M is known for his theatrical make-up shades. Browsing the collection it’s not unusual to spot sun yellow nail polish and neon green eyeliner, so this lilac shade of lipstick hardly a shocker. Ideal for spring, the formula is understated and complements pale skin perfectly. The consistency is silky and the solution is enriched with natural moisturiser for a smooth finish.

Go pastel crazy by painting your nails mint green and teaming the look with a baby pink outfit.

Mazette by Dior

Winter calls for deep shades of red and berry, but come the summer you want to achieve the perfect marriage of red and pink. This shade is the perfect combination of both. Almost watermelon in appearance, the voluptuous formula moisturises and reshapes the lips and the colour is luxuriously rich.

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*This is a sponsored guest post by The Smile Dentist

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Grooming Those Unwanted Hairs: Yoso Trim

This is a product you don't see often in the beauty industry; a 'beauty trimmer'. It's called the Yoso Trim Beauty Trimmer*. I had never heard of something like this before, and with fine, blonde hair and eyebrows I didn't think I would ever need to remove unwanted facial hair. 

To be honest the concept did scare me a little, putting a razor near your face?! Yep, really not as bad as I thought. You can use it on eyebrows, the hairline, the upper lip and any other area of your face where you are prone to unwanted hair. Since I was a little nervy anyway, I tried it out on my boyfriend. Seriously. He has thick black eyebrows and I always pluck some of the strays above where his eyebrows should actually be (sorry Andy). I don't touch the underneath as he still wants to look 'manly', whatever that means. When I saw I could use this, I asked him and he seemed happy to be my little guinea pig for the evening. Firstly, this is incredibly quick to use. I tend to sit there plucking eyebrows for about half an hour but this was done within a few minutes.

It also comes with an attachment for a 'long' and 'short' trim, and you can use it without too. In this case since I was removing hair, I did not use the attachment, but it is easy to get it on and off. It comes with a little razor brush too, to get rid of trimmed hairs. I was pleasantly surprised with the quality of the Yoso Trim. The size is pretty handy, easy to pack away for travelling when you simply must have groomed brows.You can view the Youtube video (here) to have a look at how it is used in person. It costs £17.99 from Beautycrowd.com, fairly inexpensive for a beauty product these days.The only thing you need to make sure of when using is that you have one AAA battery, which isn't a problem if you have them lying around, it isn't a rechargeable product. I am quite satisfied with the Yoso Trim, maybe I will even use it on my own brows next time.

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Mac Cosmetics Lipstick Giveaway

Hey Lovelies. Now the Spring and Summer months are arriving, along with the sun making an appearance over the past week, I thought it would be a lovely time to do a little giveaway. I've got a lot of uni work going on until the first week of May, so to lift my spirits and spread a bit of positivity, I'll be giving away one Mac lipstick of your choice. 

My current lipsticks minus two: Pure Heroine, Hot Gossip, Rebel, Chatterbox As you can see from my photo, minus two new lipsticks,  do love a bit of Mac. I've not been a huge fan over some of their other products, but their lipsticks come in so many colours and finishes, and as a beauty blogger you can only love the range. I should probably branch out a bit more from pink and purples though. To enter, you should follow the mandatory options, which will then unlock extra options if you wish to enter further. Please leave two preferences of colour in the comments section in case the winner's first choice is unavailable on the Mac store. Good luck! x a Rafflecopter giveaway T&C's UK entrants only. Entry via the Rafflecopter widget below. Winner selected at random via Rafflecopter. No purchase necessary. The prize is one Mac lipstick. You can check out the lipsticks on the Mac website (here). The giveaway will run from 15/04/2015-11/05/2015 (midnight). I will let the winner know via twitter and email when they have won.  Please enter using a valid email address (no spam) that you can access if you win.  Void where prohibited.

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Collection Cosmetics Eyes Uncovered Palettes

Hey Lovelies. First of all, sorry for the lack of posting in the last week and a half, I was home for Easter and have a lot of final year work to do! I finally found the time to review these gorgeous Collection Cosmetics 'Eyes Uncovered Palettes* in Nude and Nude Grey.

Packaging I love how small and compact these palettes are. They aren't as wide ranging as an Urban Decay Naked Palette, but they do the same job. They include little applicators that I haven't used since I prefer a brush, but for on the go use that's pretty handy. I wish they included a mirror, but the product wouldn't be as light. I love how you could take two of these in your handbag and it wouldn't weigh it down or take up too much space. The front is quite simple which I admire sometimes, simplicity is better than an luminous neon that is confusing to the eye.
Eyeshadows I took these photos prior to going back after Easter hence why they look unused and unswatched. For the price, Collection Cosmetics always include pigmented shadows and you can't go wrong for £3.99. I prefer the Nude Grey Eyes Uncovered Palette since it looks more like my Urban Decay Naked Basics 2, the other looking like the UD N Basics palette. The shimmer in the shadows are subtle too. These are great for both daytime and nighttime use, with the Nude Grey palette versatile for creating a typical smokey eye look, or adding bronze shadows for a more wearable look for most people. The Nude Bronze palette is also available in Boots too.
Final Thoughts Overall, these are a fabulous dupe for the Naked Basics palettes by Urban Decay. They are a tenth of the price and are quite pigmented and long lasting. If you're picky with eyeshadows and want an affordable palette, I would advise you check these out. I personally love Collection Cosmetics as they are one of the first brands I used to buy from when I first got into makeup at the age of 12/13, just like Barry M and Natural Collection. They produce other amazing products such as the well known blogger fave, the Lasting Perfection concealer which is my favourite too. You can buy these from both Boots and Superdrug.

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